Sam in Winter

Originally written in Dutch but set in western Canada, this sequel to A Dog like Sam (rev. 3/17) has a similar arc to the first story. In early scenes we revel in the relationship between Kix and his dog Sam, a big white Pyrenees Mountain dog. There's a note of unease as Sam begins to behave in unusual ways, and then the bottom drops out of Kix's world when Sam runs away. After weeks of searching, everyone gives up on the possibility of finding Sam alive except Kix, who holds firm to his conviction that the old dog is out there somewhere. Several key relationships, dog and human, come together in the middle of a bitterly cold winter night deep in the forest, a crisp, spare scene with a touch of magic realism as Kix "hears" Sam calling to him. Links to the previous book are slightly cumbersome, but the author maintains edge-of-the-seat tension without once sentimentalizing the dog, the boy, or the realities of rural life. A straightforward, unadorned prose style is perfectly matched by the elegance of pen-and-ink drawings that pull us even further into the distinctive landscape and into the emotional tenor of each scene--loneliness, determination, joy. sarah ellis