Lost Dog by Bill Cameron - review

[BrianLindenmuth]

"In the opening moments of the book we find Peter existing in a state of stasis. He doesn't have a job and he's trying to gain a measure of control over his kleptomania. In fact we meet Peter while he's in the middle of coming up with excuses. Excuses not to go jogging, not to look for a job, not to go into the house. He's renting his house from his sister so there isn't any real impetus to find a job as she isn't pressuring him about the rent. The discovery of the dead body will force him into activity.

Peter is interesting as a protagonist chiefly because of his kleptomania. The kleptomania represents itself interestingly at both ends of the spectrum. On one side there is a scene where Peter comes across a bloody condom at what might be a crime scene. The compulsion to pick it up and put it in his pocket is so great in him that he becomes literally becomes frozen where he stands. The mental and emotional battle that he wages with himself is compelling if not a little frightening but it serves as an illustrative example of his condition. On the other side of the spectrum is a small scene when he meets Ruby Jane and goes to her place. She is in the other room and he becomes obsessed with a pen that is left on a table. Again he very badly wants to put it in his pocket and wages the same battle with himself. This moment too passes with him making a decision about the object in question. Both of these moments show the diverse emotions that can be wrung out of the condition. From revulsion & horror all the way to a small measure of personal growth. To say he's flawed would be an understatement."

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