Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1328033 in Books
• Published on: 1995-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

A Day in the Life
Set in the Manchester suburbs of Stockport, this novel follows a day in the life of a typical family by following each of the four members (and the dog) throughout the course of a Thursday. Assistant bank manager John Clarke heads off to work as per usual, and contends with broken windshield wipers, the temptations of adultery, the task of confronting his boss, the need to buy a wedding anniversary gift, and the sneaking suspicion that everyone around him knows something he doesn't. Meanwhile, his wife Margaret attempts to conduct her normal business (walking the dog, a visit to John's father, a jog), in an attempt to keep the terror of an impending breast clinic exam at bay. Their teenage daughter Ann bunks off from school to ride in a van with three evangelical Christian classmates to a "hoe down" out in the country. Alas, the van does not cooperate fully, and her holier-than-thou companions exhibit rather lax moral discipline. Adolescent Stephen is distracted from his normal routine, and ends up on a bus with a strange wino. Stephen's imagination blurs the boundaries of reality and dream, and his meanderings take on an almost deranged quality. Finally, Raymond the dog's inner thoughts are rendered in fantastic and hilarious detail, as he contends with an empty food bowl, tantalizing scents, a mocking squirrel, and finally, freedom. It's a very gentle story, one in which each family member encounters choices and obstacles, and negotiates them in their own way, arriving back home at the end. On the whole, the book isn't particularly noteworthy, although the sections written from the perspective of the dog are very funny and will appeal to dog lovers. Note: The Poco Poco of the title was a dancehall where many local bands played in the '50s and '60s.

A finely observed novel from an unusual perspective.
Francis' novel spans but a single day but brings together five narrative threads (mother, father, two children, and the dog) in a skilful web that kept me enthralled right to the end. The dog's narrative, in particular, is both acute and comicHis style and vision of the world are in many ways similar to Kate Atkinson's first two novels but there is a rare blend of observation and humour that make it an enchanting read. A rare find!

One of the best books I have ever read !
How can a book as good as this not be a best seller ? I was held from page one to the end by the humour, pathos, suspense and story line. All the characters are fascinating in their ordinariness. Of several books supposedly written from a dog's point of view, the chapters relating Dog Raymond's story are by far the most convincing I have read.