To Say Nothing of the Dog (Book Review)
Now, let me tell you a story about a man named Ned, a poor time traveler who
nearly found himself dead. But one day on the river his bag fell in, and out of
the bag came a grimalkin… cat, that is—cattus, one of feline
persuasion. Poor Ned Henry. Who would have thought, based on the title of this book, that
one of the worst trips of his life would revolve around a cat? Certainly a dog
seemed more likely. Nevertheless, it’s a little cat named Princess Arjumand
that brings anguish to Ned without end. In fact, not only Ned’s happiness but
the entire fate of the universe may well revolve around this little feline. Connie Willis’s 1999 Hugo Award-winning book, To Say Nothing of the Dog,
is a comedy of errors and a study in the absurd of the most delightful kind. If
you like the humor of Douglas Adams or John Kennedy Toole, you’ll no doubt
enjoy this little gem. In keeping with the title, it does prominently feature
canines, and is filled with fantastic characters that jump off the page. The book is dedicated to the great Robert A. Heinlein, who Willis thanks for
introducing her to Jerome K. Jerome’s book Three Men in a Boat, To Say
Nothing of the Dog in his novel Have Space Suit, Will Travel. It is
from Jerome’s book that the title was derived. And Jerome’s story plays a
significant role in Willis’s novel, as well. In fact, we even get to see the
latter in the making. Read the former and you’ll see what I mean. It’s a
truly impressive piece of craftsmanship. In a couple of recent reviews (Pastwatch
and Timeline)
I have discussed time travel stories. In those the history that would be
affected by changes in the timeline was quite significant, especially in Pastwatch.
But in To Say Nothing of the Dog, part of the joke is the absurdity of
the consequences. The year is 2057 and a woman named Lady Schrapnell is determined to restore
the famed Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed during Nazi air raids in WWII.
But to assure authenticity, a missing item must be located. The item? The bishop’s
bird stump. Pursuit of this crucial piece, which just so happens to have changed
her great great grandmother’s life, leads to an enormous number of people
being sent to the past to study the history and likely whereabouts of the
atrocity. For Ned, this means visiting countless jumble sales and, ultimately, getting
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