The Best Dog in the World
Fourteen well-known novelists and essayists, gathered by Alice Hoffman, write personally about the dogs who shaped them, a warm, varied anthology to dip into or give as a gift.
What It's About
The Best Dog in the World is an anthology edited by Alice Hoffman. A group of popular writers, including Isabel Allende, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Strout, Amy Tan, Roxane Gay, Emily Henry, Bonnie Garmus, Chris Bohjalian and veterinarian-author Nick Trout, each contribute a personal essay about a dog who mattered to them. The publisher's copy lists fourteen contributors in one place and fifteen in another. The higher number probably counts Hoffman herself. The pieces cover the whole arc of living with a dog, from bringing home a puppy or rescue to the hard work of saying goodbye.
Because every essay comes from a different writer, the tone and style shift from piece to piece. Some contributors are best known for literary fiction, some for commercial or romantic novels, and at least one for memoir and cultural criticism. You should expect a range of voices, some lighter and funnier and some more reflective or grief-tinged, rather than one consistent approach.
The experience is closer to an evening of stories from friends than a book with a single argument. It suits short sittings, one essay at a time. Many readers will likely move between amusement and tears. The book's main appeal is recognition: it puts into words what people who have loved a dog already feel, and it lets you see favourite authors outside their usual genres.
Read this if you…
- have loved and perhaps lost a dog and want stories that recognise that bond
- enjoy any of the contributing authors and want to read them in a personal, nonfiction mode
- want a gentle, easy-to-dip-into book or a thoughtful gift for a dog lover
Skip it if you…
- want practical guidance on training, health or choosing a breed
- find sentimental animal writing cloying, or are not ready to read about a pet's death
Key Ideas
- 1
Dogs as markers of a life
The collection treats dogs less as pets and more as companions who mark out chapters of a person's life. A dog arrives during one season of change and stays through others. Looking back at a particular animal often becomes a way for these writers to look back at who they were then: their marriages, homes, children and losses.
- 2
Grief that is real and often unspoken
The anthology openly includes the end of a dog's life as part of the story. Losing an animal can hit as hard as other bereavements, yet people often get less room to mourn it. Readers who have been through this may find the honest treatment of that sorrow comforting, though it also makes parts of the book emotional to read.
- 3
What a dog teaches about love
A recurring theme is that dogs model a simple, steady kind of affection that humans find hard to offer one another. The essays suggest that caring for a dog can build patience, empathy and attention to the present moment. Different writers take this idea in different directions, some sentimental and some more clear-eyed.
- 4
Familiar authors in a personal register
Much of the draw is hearing novelists you already read speak in their own voices about their own lives. These are personal essays, not fiction, so the book offers a more intimate side of writers better known for invented characters. That makes it a natural pick for fans of any of the contributors.
Limitations
Like most themed anthologies, this one is likely uneven. Some essays will land harder than others, and readers' favourites will vary by taste in authors. The framing is openly heartwarming and celebratory, so readers looking for sharper or more complicated writing about animals and people may find it soft. The book is mostly about the emotional side of owning a dog. It does not offer much science, behaviour insight or practical advice. The contributor list leans toward bestselling American fiction writers, which shapes the range of perspectives on offer.
Questions Readers Ask
- Is The Best Dog in the World a novel by Alice Hoffman?
- No. It is a nonfiction anthology that Hoffman edited. It gathers personal essays by around fourteen other writers, including Isabel Allende, Jodi Picoult, Amy Tan and Elizabeth Strout. Each essay is about a real dog in the author's life, so you will find a variety of voices rather than a single Hoffman narrative.
- Is this book too sad for someone grieving a dog?
- It depends on where you are in that grief. The collection does include essays about saying goodbye to beloved dogs, so expect some tears. It also includes lighter stories about puppies and everyday life. Many grieving readers find that kind of recognition comforting, but you may want to read one essay at a time.
- How does it compare to books like Marley & Me?
- Marley & Me is one writer's long memoir about a single dog. This anthology offers many short essays by different authors about many dogs. That makes it easier to dip into and more varied in tone, but it is less immersive. You will not follow one relationship from start to finish.
- Published
- 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668209028
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Category
- Literary Collections
Book details and cover from Google Books.
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