There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard

BOOK REVIEW by M.C. Simon

There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard
A life in Pets

“Pets are so pure. They are undeniable honest, so utterly real.” These words melted my heart from the first moment when I opened the book covers.

The first story, about Sally, the dog who succeeded to bring back home the future author, while he was so small that he couldn’t even remember those moments, hooked me and sincerely speaking brought a few tears into my eyes; tears that came back while reading some other stories included in “There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard“.

The Cat named Mouse, which wanted to be a dog, almost blew my mind. I wished I would have been there, to pamper it for a while. However, what I loved most of all about this book, was the author’s parents… With only a few words, David W. Berner took me inside their world… a world of deep emotions and characters… and… finishing to read the book I was not so sure if the main characters were the pets, the little boy who became an adult, or the author’s parents.

You can learn a lot from these essays, the habits of many animal species: dogs, ants, cats, gerbils, wolf spiders, squirrels, piranhas, and some more… you’ll have them all on your “plate”. You can also learn how by being a parent you can earn your kids love and admiration, which will last for ages.

But… I have to warn you… don’t read this book if you hate the idea of having a pet. The book is so appealing, so well written and the stories so attractive and at the same time deep, that… after reading it, you will find yourself in the situation of desiring to bring home a pet. At least, this is what happened to me. I still resisted the idea, but David W. Berner added such powerful hooks in this book.

“That’s what these stories are all about – those magnificent relationships, the love of family, and the uniqueness of each existence shared with the living and breathing. These are the personal stories of a life with pets, those remarkable companions that allow us to catch ourselves being human.”

And now… the moment of truth… Since many years ago when my cat died, I became a non-pet person. When I started reading this book, I didn’t have so many expectations because… I knew that the book was about “a hamster”. Now, after closing the book, I can say only one thing. The author did an amazing work! Having an almost magical effect on the reader, “There’s a Hamster in the Dashboard” is the kind of book I could not put down until the last page was read.

Five+ stars from me!