Grief, loss and pain can make you act like a real selfish asshole. But that doesn’t mean you are one. Franny is dealing with a lot and not particularly well but that’s all the more reason to love her. Readers will feel the joy it must have been for Byron to conjure and inhabit this charming, accomplished, strong willed and flamboyant character. There is a truly excellent amount of dog content here (and booze). Rendering a beautiful portrait of a marriage with one half of the couple absent is no mean feat. There were a few scenes that read slightly awkwardly but Franny’s strong presence more than compensated. This book is big feelings and I cried my way through a lot of it – Milo was quite concerned but ultimately decided he would be friends with Whiskey and Soda.