The Barking Dog

At the top of her form, Canada's preeminent writer of new urban fiction brings forth her most powerful novel to date. Cordelia Strube conjures up a heart-breaking tale of madness and murder set against the ravages of cancer. In this, in her fifth novel, Strube tells the story of Greer Pentland, a forty-something realtor, who is battling cancer while struggling to find redemption and hope for her teenaged son Sam, who is on trial for the vicious murder of two senior citizens while sleepwalking. Despite the difficulties that Greer faces, including an ex-husband who wants to sell the house that she and her son live in, this is riveting, provocative, and mordantly funny novel. Strube's searing indictment of the medical profession and our media-saturated culture is masterfully fused together with a stream of new stories and wit making this an unforgettable read.