Paul Iverson is a tenured linguistics professor married to Lexy Ransome, an artist who specializes in making masks for parties or events such as Marti Gras and weddings. Where he is a quintessential college professor, Lexy is the creative free spirit. Somehow, they click. She loves him for his stable nature and he loves her for the life of surprises she creates for him. One day, the police discover that Lexy has fallen out of the apple tree in their backyard and died. Lorelei, their Rhodesian Ridgeback, is the only witness. In his grief, Paul becomes determined to teach Lorelei to speak so that she can tell him what happened that day. He then decided to make his work with Lorelei part of a greater research project on canine speech. He becomes the laughing stock of his educational community, but he doesn’t change course until he’s forced to come face to face with his past with Lexy and the real reason why he becomes so focused on making Lorelei speak.

I remember at least twice while reading this book while Paul was describing aspects of his research that I said to myself, “This man must be out of his mind!” Paul is such a sympathetic narrator that I was immediately interested in his story and how becoming a widower impacted him. I was so much in his corner and felt for his loneliness that I was buying in to his research, believing it might be possible to get Lorelei to confirm his suspicions. He was a linguist, after all, and I have very little practical experiences with dogs. I had entered into his odd reality without knowing it. Those “this man must be out of his mind” moments were my wakeup call that all was not right with Paul. Seeing that they were not wakeup calls for Paul made me nervous and tempted me (very briefly) to throw in the towel. By the time I realized that Paul was not the reliable man I was led to believe, it was too late. I couldn’t put the book down any more than I could look away. Someone had to be a witness for Lorelei.

Parkhurst tells an interesting story in The Dogs of Babel. Dealing with a partner with mental health issues is not easy. It’s also difficult to understand another person’s problems unless you’ve experienced them. Paul wanted to remember his wife in the best possible light. There were times when he described her outbursts and they didn’t seem at all as devastating as Lexy or Paul did or could easily be explained by lack of sleep or some other minor issue. Paul holds back because he is the perfect co-dependent. He overlooks behavior that should have made him take action, like their trip to New Orleans a few months before she dies. He wants Lorelei to talk because he needs to know what she knows – not because he wants to know the truth, but because he hopes he’s not guilty for what happened.

The Dogs of Babel has got to be the most bizarre novel I’ve read in a very long time. Paul's obsession led him places I've never even imagined in my nightmares. There are some amazingly inhumane things encountered in this novel which bring Paul to his tipping point. Because of this, I would caution readers who upset when animals are treated cruelly and sadistically. I found this novel worth the risk. The uneasy feelings created by the Cerberus Society paved the way for some beautiful, introspective, and intimate prose like the following passage from page 229:

It's not the content of our dreams that gives our second heart its dark color; it's the thoughts that go through our heads in those wakeful moments when sleep won't come. And those are the things we never tell anyone at all.

After finishing this novel, I will never be able to hear a joke about a talking dog, or any other animal for that matter, without thinking about Lorelei. I would also be willing to follow Parkhurst just about anywhere. The Dogs of Babel and Lorelei will stay with me for a long time. ( )

http://thebookwormslibrary.com/?p=288... ( )

fun to read, even through the sad parts. even when it seems far far-fetched, it still works. ( )

This book really touched my heart and had a great mystery to it. I know the critics weren't too kind, but to each his own. ( )

Story of the crazed grief of a young widower, and his sruggles with self doubt and acceptance.all in the company of a big Rhodesian Ridgeback who's utterly lovable. Wonderful weaving of the tale of the couple's meeting, of their brief time together which includes Lorelei the dog as a central character. Well painted portait of Lexy, the woman who has died, her self doubts and difficulties with anger and depression. Tthe symbolism of masks, words and books is obvious, but because it is part of the characters' own narration of their lives it seems natural. Odd elements of the book: the Harlan Coben-ish opening, the late in the story twist into a criminal world is also Coben-ish. Early on the constant play of words in names and in conversation is odd but perhaps , not so surprising since the surviving widower and narrator is a professional linguist. All in all an interesting book that keeps you interested to the end. I thought the author could have spared Lorelei and given her a Hollywood rescue, but hey, one more yank on my sympathy chain. Good job.

I wasn't a big fan of this book. Much of it rubbed me the wrong way and just seemed, I don't know, over the top? ( )

When linguist Paul's wife dies in a fall from their backyard apple tree, the only witness to her death is their dog, Lorelei. Overwhelmed with grief, Paul endeavors to do the impossible: teach Lorelei to speak so she can tell him what really happened.

This is a unique book with a compelling premise, and is fairly straightforward in its plot. Most of the book really takes place in the past as Paul analyzes his relationship with his wife and how that may have impacted her death. At heart, it's a book about grief and the need for closure. The voice of the book was different than I expected, nor did I expect the darkness that came at certain points. I'm not sure how to sum up my opinion of it. Something about the book bothers me. Maybe that's supposed to be the point. ( )

As Dogs of Babel opens, Paul Iverson comes home to find police in and around his house and his wife dead in the back yard, having either fallen or jumped from an giant apple tree. The only witness to the event was the family dog, Lorelei. Paul, a linguist by profession, decides to teach Lorelei to talk, so she can tell him what happened on the day of his wife's death. The book is beautifully written and propels the reader along nicely. The only drawback is that at the end of the book, the entire element of teaching the dog to speak seems superflous... nothing more than an interesting and curious red herring. ( )

Definitely disturbing in parts if you are an animal lover, but overall, I loved the book. If you have ever had a loved one die under questionable circumstances, this book will touch you. It really captures how everything surrounding that day becomes a possible clue, and how desperate people can get to have a real answer. ( )

In “The Dogs of Babel,” Carolyn Parkhurst tells the story of Paul Iverson, a professor of linguistics, who is left reeling when his wife, Lexy, unexpectedly dies. Though her tragic death was ruled accidental, Paul is consumed by doubt about the circumstances of the accident and becomes obsessed with determining what really happened that day. Unfortunately, the only witness is Lorelei, the couple’s dog. “Dogs of Babel” tells three distinct stories—the fairy-tale of how Paul and Lexy met and fell in love, the mystery of what really happened the day Lexy died, and the story of Paul’s increasingly dangerous obsession with teaching Lorelei to talk.
It is with this final aspect of the novel that I take issue. Though Paul’s experiments with Lorelei begin as an illustration of a widower’s inability to come to terms with the loss of his wife, about halfway through the novel the plot takes a truly bizarre turn. As Paul begins to lose touch with reality, so too does the plot, as a disturbing group fixated on mutilating animals makes a strange and very gruesome appearance. This section of the novel was completely out of step with the rest of the book, and left me wondering whether I had wandered into a dystopian science fiction book. The graphic depiction of animal cruelty also left a bad taste in my mouth and almost made me stop reading.
That being said, I enjoyed the majority of the book. The scenes featuring Paul and Lorelei were often incredibly touching, and I found that, when I finished the novel, my favorite character was the dog. As a story about love and grief, the novel was thought-provoking and poignant. It was less successful as a mystery or a thriller, but my overall impression of the book was positive. “Dogs of Babel” was the author’s first book, and perhaps this explains why she seemed to have such a hard time incorporating the different aspects of the plot into one cohesive story. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs, as it contains some wonderful passages about the relationship between humans and dogs, but with a strong warning about the graphic nature of some of the scenes. ( )

I loathed The Dogs of Babel. I thought I would enjoy it because there is a dog, but I spent much of the novel either recoiling in horror or spitting in frustration. Publishers Weekly panned this book, saying that Carolyn Parkhurst had lots of ideas and tried to cram them all into one book - unsuccessfully. I agree. There were too many coincidences, too much jumping around, too many disturbing images. The themes she tried to carry through the book became annoying as they were interjected ackwardly between bizarre and disjointed stories.

*sigh* Parkhurst defended herself when asked about the animal mutilation and just insane barbarism that she describes in great detail. She said that although it was harsh and hard to read, it was necessary to the story. I disagree. I won't read another one of her books unless I am specifically told by someone I trust that I would like it.

One good thing I'll say: The dog, Lorelai, is by far the best developed and most likeable character in the book. As a matter of fact, along with Snoopy - Lorelai has the most personality of any dog I've ever read about. ( )

Linguistics professor, Paul Iverson, has met & fallen in love with his complete opposite, artist, Lexy. They marry & he moves in with Lexy & her dog, Lorelei. Their life is moving right along until the night he comes home to find the police. They tell him that, apparently, Lexy fell out of their apple tree in the backyard. The only witness was Lorelei.

The Dogs of Babel is a book about grief. And the grief fueled things that drive us to survive after losing a loved one. But just to be clear, I am not just talking of Paul's grief, I am also talking of Lorelei's grief. Through out the book, Paul tells us the story of his marriage. And with each "flashback" chapter we get to learn a little more about Lexy. And slowly the mystery comes together & Paul finally gets the answers he was so desperate for.

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot....

Pleasantly surprised by this book, though I found it to be a slow start. I felt for Paul, I too wanted to know what had happened to Lexy. Well written, flows at a good pace once you're into it.

A grief- stricken husband tries to unravel the cause behind his wife's death. Did she accidentally fall from their backyard apple tree, or jump on purpose? The only witness was their dog, so he (a linguistics professor) attempts to teach the dog to speak. I thought this book was going to be mostly about Paul's absurd efforts to get the dog to talk, but instead found I was reading a love story that is also a mystery. The more Paul reveals as he unfolds his wife's story, the more it becomes apparent that there were darker aspects of her personality he did not know well or understand at all. Motifs of masks and dreams are woven throughout the story, and I also liked how the tale of Tam Lin was included. Some parts of the novel can be really disturbing, but overall it is a sad, haunting and intriguing story.

More at Dog Ear Diary ( )

Overall, a great debut novel by this author. It's an imaginative and unusual story about a dog who witnesses his owner's death. The narrator becomes intrigued by the possibility of getting his dog to talk so he can convey what happened. There is a very poignant evocation of the narrator's relationship with his deceased wife and his evolving grief. You travel with him through the mysterious circumstances of her death and come to know more about his wife's deep pain. I thought the author treated the theme of the talking dog society a bit superficially though. ( )

Begins with such fragile elegance. Worth reading for that portion alone. Gets increasingly unconvincing along the way.

Begins with such fragile elegance. Worth reading for that portion alone. Gets increasingly unconvincing along the way.

This was an odd reading experience. The book was recommended to me by a friend, but it had been standing on my shelf for over a year, I think, before I finally picked it up. And I didn't expect to like it; I thought the premise of the story was odd and it'd turn out to be a sappy, too-pathetic look back of a husband who's grieving for his wife. Well, it's a good thing I'm not always right.

The story goes as follows: after the death of his wife, a linguistics professor believes the only way to find out the truth about his wife's death is to teach their dog to talk, because she was with his wife when she died. While doing so, he reminisces about his life with his wife.

Even despite my doubts, I enjoyed this book from the beginning, because it flows. Flowing really is the best expression; it's a pleasure to read, and I felt like I was floating over the pages. The writing felt very soft - this was one of the instances where the writing felt very tangible. (I know this sounds strange, but for me that's the best way to put it.)

And again, despite my doubts there were many passages I underlined and even more where I could've done so. The love Paul Iverson felt for his wife feels very real, as does his grief, and his slow coming to terms with what happened. His project with his dog, bringing with it something really creepy and disturbing, never quite seemed like a fool's errand for me. It was something for him to focus on, although I see why other people - especially scientists - might find it worrying. But it was interesting to read about what he was trying to do (and not).

It's also a very, very female book, at least it felt like that to me. It'd be interesting to see whether other people feel the same, although I can only think of one person who might be interested to read it, and she's a woman. But that kind of thing isn't bad. It had the same feel to it like "The Myth of You & Me", I think; the ease with which I read it definitely reminded me of that book.

So yeah, I really loved it. It's a beautiful story about love, loss and grief. And thus, probably, life. ( )

Paul Iverson calls home to have the phone answered by a policeman. His wife, Lexy, has fallen from the apple tree in the backyard and died. The police rule the death an accident. The only witness is their dog Lorelei. Paul, a linguist professor, decides to teach Lorelei to talk so he can hear her story. The chapters alternate between the past and the present. You find out how Paul and Lexy meet and the events leading up to her death. Then there is the weird part of the plot with Paul trying to teach a dog to talk and getting involved in an underground group that do surgery on dogs to make their mouths work more like humans. This part was horrible and I don't know if I would have read the book had I known this was in it. Otherwise the rest of the book was good for a first novel, but very sad. ( )

A completely unique and beautifully written book. I couldn’t put it down. ( )

The moving story about a professor of linguistics whose wife has died in a tragic accident, having fallen from a tree. The only witness was their dog, Lorelei, and Paul, convinced that Lorelei can tell him what happened that day, including why his wife, Lexy, was in that tree in their yard, becomes determined to teach Lorelei to talk.

The story is told in two time periods. In the past, is Paul and Lexy’s love story; in the present, is Paul’s struggles to find, then come to terms with his loss and the truths he has difficulty facing, including his irrational actions that put Lorelei at risk.

By the end, I wasn’t surprised by the things Paul learns, about Lexy and himself and their relationship, but surprises aren’t what this book is about. At its heart, it’s the story of love and how it can blind you to a person’s flaws and how some things are beyond your control and other things are within your control and learning the difference. It’s about an amazing love that wasn’t quite strong enough and about healing. Parkhurst’s prose is compelling and deeply felt. I look forward to reading more by her. ( )

This was a quick, mindless read with a plot that gets strange. The pay off at the end of the book was not worth reading the whole book. With that being said, it was a neat idea but poorly elaborated. ( )

"The Dogs of Babel" is a very unique and intimate look at loving someone with a mental illness as well as the grief and healing process. The symbolism of dreams and masks permeates the novel creating layers of meaning. As the widower tries to unravel the mystery of his wife's final hours he also unravels more of the mystery of himself. ( )

Heartbreakingly powerful ( )

unique and different