Why We Are Here (Briohny Doyle, Vintage)

In a life-altering turn of events, BB loses both her father and the love of her life during the global pandemic. When grief and strict lockdown orders push her to her limits, BB moves from the city to a condemned beachside apartment at the edge of her childhood home town. The area, mostly populated with golf-playing, BMW-driving, middle-aged professionals, has few restrictions, and BB spends her days walking her rescue dog Baby, swimming in the ocean and catching up with old friends. When she is mistaken for a dog trainer by her wealthy neighbours, BB begins to find new meaning in her connections with both Baby and the local dogs. She takes tentative steps towards healing and dips her toe into the waters of new relationships. But BB cannot forget the love and loss that haunts her. As she remembers the life she has lost, Why We Are Here takes a slightly surreal turn. BB and Baby communicate telepathically, the nearby prison quotes philosophers over the loudspeaker, there’s a glamorous woman who sporadically appears on the golf course, and somewhere there is a dog whose howl sounds like the wind. Why We Are Here is a book of capacious wisdom filled with deep insights and luminous prose. Briohny Doyle’s third novel is a strange, heart-wrenching and joyous story about love, loss and the restorative power of dogs, friends and nature.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Chloë Cooper is a freelance writer and librarian in Meanjin. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Reviews