Griefdogg

by Michael Winkler

Meet Jeffrey hydrologist, husband of Martine, father of Bern, model citizen of Mildura.

But after he inherits a small fortune from an obscure aunt and has a disconcerting encounter with his cousin Pam, Jeffrey decides it’s time to change everything.

He tells Martine he wants to live as if he were the family pet.

Sleeping through the day or wandering beside the river, he discovers a new he can sense secret grief in others. What to do with this gift? Or with his awareness of the endless streams of water flowing unseen beneath the earth?

Michael Winkler’s first novel Grimmish became a cult hit. Griefdogg is another triumph. Funny, sad, always entrancing, it tells a crazy-sane story about identity, love, family and forgiveness.

Michael Winkler is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction, living in Melbourne on unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. He is the winner of the Calibre Prize. His novel Grimmish was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award, the first self-published novel to make the long- or shortlist. Griefdogg is his second novel.

‘Grimmish meets a need I didn't even know I had.’ Helen Garner on Grimmish

‘The strangest book you are likely to read this year.’ J. M. Coetzee on Grimmish

‘Playful, visceral and elegant. Sat down to read it, lost an afternoon.’ Robbie Arnott on Grimmish

Genres: Fiction, Book Club

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2026

Reviews

[Sportyrod]

Book club. Best discussion quote:
“I didn’t like him as a human or a dog.”

Here’s a taster…and check out how long this sentence is.

“Aligning his vibrations with the attenuated glissando of subterranean seeping, an idea stretched so taut on time’s framework that you could see through it, whistle through it, pass thoughts from one side and embrace them on the other—his jumping of the gun, if the cosmos has fairness, and we have no reason to think it has, will lop some time off purgatory, collapse the bardo, put him in the express lane to enter the slowest race of them all.”

Crystal clear? Thought so. If this is how to flaunt the literary muscles, I think I’d rather know my place and make do with my atrophied intellect and actually understand the meaning of simpler words and concepts.

So what did we all think, I hear you asking..?

We were all hopeful given the premise was behaving like a dog, but it didn’t quite grab us. It took 50% to get to the man-as-dog part, which was probably too long a reservoir period (a hydrology reference there, see) without payoff. Multiple timelines (normally ok) complicated the already complicated story. A couple of us had to google what happened with Martine’s timeline.

For such a passive character (refusal to make decisions), the pace trickled (hehehe). Some could set aside the selfishness of it despite the indulgent grief. Having said that, the concept was honourable and there were some humourous phrases.

The others had issue with the incestuous scenes, but hey, we all have our vices, and some people have sexier cousins than others. Kidding. Just kidding everyone. I will say I am hard to shock, so no surprises for me.

Ratings: my 2, 2, 2 and 1 = 1.75 rounded up. Probably our lowest rating yet. Sorry author. Many readers will enjoy your book. It’s a fine piece of writing, it just wasn’t for us. Or rather, we had one literary reader select the book and the rest of us lean more towards straight-forward stories. Literary fiction lovers and people with an extensive vocabulary will no doubt get more out of this than we did. We are clearly outliers.

[Jaclyn]

Winkler wants to explore the depths of our humanity in unexpected ways. He is such a playful clever writer. The impulse to retreat from all the grief and pain in this world is one that feels rational in response to existential despair, that Winkler manifests it as his protagonist wanting to live as the family pet is a creative choice to delight in. I will sit with the ending of this book for a long time. Sublime.

[Nick]

A Mildura man decides to remove himself from society by becoming the family pet. Here, he learns that he can sense the secret grief of other people.

Yeah, this book was a lot. A wild premise, and even more experimental than the blurb may suggest. Conceptually challenging, but fun to read.

[Tessa]

4.5 Bonkers, funny, sad, thoughtful and clever. Enjoyed it a lot, so nice to read something set in regional Victoria.

Got a bit confused with the Martine timeline but not sure if that's because of me or the book. I don't think it matters though. Just sat back and had fun.

[Marika Cook]

I…what on earth did I just read?

I consumed Griefdogg mainly on the couch with my reactive and anxiety riddled rescue dog who causes me a lot of grief, but worked out pretty quickly that’s not at all what Michael Winkler was getting at in this book.

Was lucky enough to see him speak at the Melbourne writers festival this year in a wonderful session with Toni Jordan. I’d started the book already and was struggling, but after hearing his perspective, went back to the beginning and - much like getting into the rhythm of a Shakespeare play when everything slots into place after about 20 minutes when your are used to the cadence and language - finally it made sense.

It’s a slow burn (Bern?) which starts off gently bonkers and crescendos to holy sh*t really bonkers. There are lots of uncommon words that had my ignorant brain reaching for dictionary.com more than once, but the concept is interesting and it’s definitely well written. None of the characters are likable, which I struggle with, but there was enough humanity (ironically) in each of them to keep me reading.

I now know more about hydrology than I ever wanted or needed to, and can successfully use ‘albedo’ in a sentence and sometimes that’s all a book needs to give you.

Genuinely interesting, alienating, captivating and frustrating, all in equal measure and a friendly reminder that there are worse afflictions than an uncontrollable need to tell dad jokes.

Albedo would also be a great name for a dog, just saying.

[Emily Joyce]

Saw Michael do a reading of this at hill of content and it was fantastic and he just seemed like the nicest guy ever so bought it.

really didn’t like this until about halfway through, then it got better, then it got much much better and the ending was beautiful and heartwrenching.

Still, lots of parts that I felt went way over my head but were also so niche and varied that I’m not sure who the intended audience was and I can imagine those sections being confusing and boring to lots of people (but also maybe that was the point??)

[Ursula Schneider]

I would never recommend this book to anyone but really quietly enjoyed it. Maybe something wrong with me.

[Darcy]

Loved Grimmish. As with Ryan O’Neill’s, Their Brilliant Careers (2016), it was genuinely original work from an Australian author. Griefdogg is in many ways an even more satisfying read. The protagonist’s decision to withdraw from human life seemed completely reasonable, sage even. Serious and silly, Griefdogg is wise and philosophic, it amuses and satisfies like a zen parable or koan. I heard the sound of one hand clapping. Winkler’s jokes alone were worth the price of admission. They are so good it is unfair to describe them as ‘Dad jokes’, as some reviewers have deemed fair analysis. Highest recommendation.

[Chelsea]

"I had a friendship that lasted thirty years, the closest and most valuable of friendships, and it ruptured and ended. Here is all of life laid out on a silver tray, for the taking. Yeah, no thanks."

I didn't know what i was getting into when i picked up this book, but it's turned out to be one of the ones i wish i could read again, for the first time.

Clever, witty, and deeply moving, griefdogg is sure to become an australian cult classic.

[edga net]

Most creative aus book I’ve read in ages, highly recommend to all. HMU if you want to borrow my copy

Will be pinching a few of the one liner gags

[JAck SøN]

Dude really did his research on hydrology.

Felt transported to the Murray, and i really want to go back, it's been too long.

The book really came together nicely in the end.

[Ella]

Impossible to accurately rate this novel. It was a complex and slow read, but only took 2 days for me to finish. It has elements of comedy, but also is a stark examination of emotional burnout and labour. It is at once disgusting, but then also tender. Continually tries to strike the balance between disgust and intrigue.

The author seems to tap into the abject in a way reminiscent of JM Coetzee’s The Master of Petersburg. It’s deliberately off-putting and challenging, and so I suppose the aim isn’t to create an enjoyable experience for the reader. But what I want to enjoy myself whilst reading?

At first I thought the narrative structure was designed to mimic the unpredictable nature of grief, but then that theory unravelled in the second half as Jeffery/Hubert’s intrusive thoughts/medium-like ability punctuates the narrative further.

It’s not a simple novel. It’s designed to be complex and difficult to grasp. The prose is fantastic and it’s clearly crafted with great intent….. but I didn’t love it. Also Jeffery/Hubert was fucking annoying.

3 stars on balance.

[Andrew Young]

Winkler uses a very fractured, nonlinear, almost impressionistic style. He used it sparingly in Grimmish, to great effect. In Griefdogg it is overwhelming, a bit confusing, and in the end it all doesn't quite cohere into any particular feeling or picture. And for me it didn't feel like that style served its own purpose. Rather it felt like this was a standard narrative that was buried beneath a lot of stylistic excess, and unfortunately the narrative itself wasn't stunning. It's all trying very hard to be clever at every moment, but it rarely felt truly smart or wise to me. He plays with language so much that it gets a bit annoying, archly insistent on its own cleverness.

[Ruby Stevens]

Wtf but in a good way I think! I think that the ending felt a little rushed, but I loved the prose and I enjoyed the premise a lot

[Emily Rayers]

Utterly deranged. Excessively technical. Quietly witty. Somewhat nauseating. I loved it.

[Adele Packer]

What the hell just happened? A genre defying novel that’s funny, sad, poignant and the perfect amount of unhinged. Will be thinking about this one for a while.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Griefdogg

‘Winkler has succeeded not only in publishing boundary-pushing work but in becoming a male artist unafraid to mock masculinity.’
Declan Fry, Age

‘Griefdogg is essential reading for members of book clubs who love lively debate; emotionally repressed dog-men who refuse to reciprocate; capitalists experiencing existential ennui; and anyone who wishes they could opt-out of everything.’ [4 stars]
Nanci Nott, ArtHub

‘I think it’s spectacular…I’m rationing it page by page because the prose is so incredible…’
Beejay Silcox, The Bookshelf

‘Griefdogg is a wonderfully eccentric novel.’
Jason Steger, Age

‘Griefdogg is both vigorously subversive and courageously daggy, offering a tale for the end of times that asks a question as old as time: ultimately, what matters?’
Declan Fry, Saturday Paper

‘I thought it was absolutely wonderful… a very very fine book.’
Shannon Burn, ABC Radio National, The Bookshelf

‘An intensely Australian book and I really like it.’
Cassie McCullagh, ABC Radio National, The Bookshelf

‘The Aussie book to read right now…deeply thoughtful, humane – and human.’
QANTAS Magazine

‘Winkler is hugely talented.’
Australian

‘At once absurd and unsettling, Griefdogg is an exploration of modern masculinity, existential despair, self-awareness and guilt, circling persistent questions about freedom and the meaning of a life well lived…consistently thought-provoking.’
Books+Publishing

‘Winkler writes with a casual intellect, reminding me of a parent giving succinct, seemingly obvious advice that nags at your edges until you suddenly find the heart of their counsel already seated within you. The issue is not fixed but quietened; human simplicity can exist within the most complex issues and the comfort of a non-answer can, momentarily, be enough – because it’s all we have.’
Clem Larkins, Readings Monthly

‘The male All Fours… wild and weird and also tackles big things about identity and forgiveness.’
Ramona Books

[perth ratbag]

I wish I could take this novel and impress the words on my brain the same way you can tattoo an Uncle Toby's Fruit Roll-Up to your tongue.

[Boy Blue]

What to say about this? What to do with the Griefdogg. Let's start with his previous book Grimmish.

Grimmish hit me like a bolt out of the blue, refreshing both in form and function. And Winkler probably could have ridden that all the way to the Miles Franklin if prizes were decided solely on merit.

In Grimmish we found our author toeing the line between flourishes of extreme writerly talent and just showing off. Which was in fact echoed by Joe Grimm's equal efforts in the sport of boxing. Unfortunately in Griefdogg, that balance is a little off. His main protagonist Jeffrey Watson-Johnson sits further to the wanker side of the wanker-wise spectrum. Though, Jeffrey moves away from smart-arse know-it-all as he becomes the titular Griefdogg, Hubert. He also starts this terrible string of dad jokes (which I wondered if Winkler was suggesting men use to cover their real emotions). Winkler however, does not follow him to likeability and the story suffers from it.

I can't for a second say that writing about grief is at all easy and it's clear Winkler is processing huge amounts of his own grief. The final part of Griefdogg where Hubert develops his ability to sense people's grief is actually where the story works, sadly that's past three quarters in. The parts of him wanting to be a housepet is really just quiet quitting and didn't need the animal overtones.

To go back to Grimmish, it also had a balance of two timelines and a few perspectives which Winkler handled really well, including that of a goat. Griefdogg is significantly more discombobulating. There are 3 main threads. We have the central narrative of a man who decides to become a family pet and then learns to sense people's grief, we have a narrator who is conducting that first character's funeral, and then a final thread which is two people, we assume the author and his partner Rachel travelling together but largely unrelated to the other stories. There is no demarcation between them except paragraph separation. It makes for a challenging reading experience to start with and it is quite frustrating throughout.

The author's own musings and adventures could have been completely cropped from the book and I think it may have been a lot stronger. You could probably say the same for the funeral sections too. In fact if this had just been a straightforward novel it may have been a lot better. But then I wonder how many would have read it. I should also mention that his literary references are often great, though sometimes just entirely an act of showing-off. I probably feature in a small subset of society who found the hydrology and hydro geography components fascinating.

One question I want to ask Winkler is who the hell were the two people Hubert picked up? The ones he meets right towards the end that seemed a little like they might be serial killers.

Another question every reader will have is Does Martine die? And his Hubert's way of dealing with the grief to ignore it, kill himself? or both?

Winkler can write for sure, I'm not sure he's nailed this book in its entirety but parts are great. He also has an incredibly unorthodox approach to literature which in Grimmish I think was perfect and here feels off key.

"As I understand it, said Remy, there is a triangle of unknowing where philosophy, mathematics, and theoretical physics cross over. You can find a bright twelve-year-old and they can tell you roughly what a black hole is. but the smartest person in the world can't say for sure if event horizons exist."

[Nikki Taylor]

Miles Franklin–shortlisted author Michael Winkler (Grimmish) returns with his anticipated new novel, Griefdogg. Jeffrey is a hydrologist in Mildura who, after inheriting a small fortune, decides to abandon his adult responsibilities and live instead as the family pet. Jeffrey’s withdrawal reverberates through the lives of those around him, with sections narrated from the perspectives of his wife Martine, his son Bern, and his doctor Anuraj. Through these shifting viewpoints, Winkler captures the emotional fallout of Jeffrey’s choice, examining love, loss, acceptance and rejection with a sharp eye for domestic realism. As Jeffrey steps away from the noise and obligations of everyday life, his awareness of others becomes heightened. The novel edges into a subtle form of magical realism through his sensitivity to the hidden griefs of those around him, a device that deepens the emotional inquiry without disrupting the book’s grounded tone. At once absurd and unsettling, Griefdogg is an exploration of modern masculinity, existential despair, self-awareness and guilt, circling persistent questions about freedom and the meaning of a life well lived. Winkler’s premise is deliberately peculiar, yet the novel is consistently thought-provoking, prompting readers to reflect on their own relationships to obligation, expectation and escape. Fans of Robbie Arnott and Max Porter will find much to admire in Griefdogg, as will readers drawn to literary fiction that explores free will, escapism, losing oneself, family tensions and alternative ways of existing.

[Alan Fyfe]

It's a sort of a magic realism, if you want genre, or a tall tale or a shaggy dog story. Yes, that's a dad joke, a form of humour which the protagonist, Jeffrey, end up compulsively using in Griefdogg. There are encounters with seemingly supernatural beings, canine style psychic powers, and a mysterious narrator trying to come up with the right words to say about Jeffery's death - which we know from the outset has already happened. I suspect Jeffery is exactly as likeable as much your social position / class relates to him, so quite unlikeable for me in his original form as a bitter, bourgie scientist who sees the world through a lens of perfectionism and narrow rationalist morality (while engaging in some strange adultery too). His family pet form isn't so charming either, eschewing all responsibility after an inheritance that expands on his entitlement rather than negating it - until it is charming, and Jeffery involuntarily begins to experience the heightened empathy of an actual pet. He does make a really good pet, except that his family just want him to behave like a human, so being a good-boy does little to redeem him to them. One of the great literary denouements of recent years (I won't spoil it), Griefdogg ends in a way that is pure poetry, drawing all its seemingly tangential flights into a tight and inevitable knot that there was never any escaping. A truly satisfying book for the discerning literary reader who enjoys surrealism, humour, and a rollicking good narrative.

[Andrea Lam]

this book wasn’t quite what i had envisioned. in my head, i thought this would be about someone who literally turned into a dog, harry potter animagus style and actually became a pet and there would be more whimsical anecdotes, rather than a human just lounging around.

it doesn’t help that you never really get a sense of jeffrey’s personality - later on it’s hinted he is a go getter guy who takes a lot of initiative in the community, but i just didn’t care about him. even when he “turns into” the family pet as hubert, he’s just this entitled brat and i just dgaf.

the whole hydrology mansplaining is incredibly esoteric and it felt a bit like the author going “look how much i can name drop these technical water terms” rather than actially inviting the reader into understanding the beauty of it. perhaps salvaged by the very last paragraph where he writes on the mildura sky and plains - but by then far too little too late.

also the encounter he has with pam at the beginning actually made me sick. from then on i couldn’t wait for the book to be over.

[Jason]

this author seems a bit of a poncy dickhead... he loves language, wordplay, has a vast vocabulary and isn't afraid to use it.. but he delivers it all so well, with humor and insight, it's hard to be mad.

he also doesn't over do it, if anything this book is very well balanced. between satire and heart, pessimism and mysticism, plot and playfulness, crassness and loftiness...

lean too far in any direction and it might have grated but he pulls it off perfectly.

the writing was very original and well put together. i loved the eulogist's interludes. i also appreciated alongside the author's unapologetic flair with the pen, the unapologetic refusal to over-explain things or hand hold the reader and the unapologetic localism referring to things like Uncle Monkeys or The Gahn... as someone who has lived in Broken Hill i found it refreshing.

original, well written, well balanced, well done. i found this book inspiring and thought provoking.

[Mark Rosario]

For anyone who has questioned the seemingly oxymoronic idea of Australian Literature, what it can be and where it can go (me), the great Michael Winkler's Griefdogg provides a riposte. Winkler takes seriously the challenge of settler prose, confronting colonial language head on; its inability to grapple with, and indeed active role in destroying and repressing, the stories that have lived in and constituted country for millenia. This is an aporic text, however in its formal construction it posits a mode of thinking and writing Australia that explodes at the point of contradiction, repurposing the nets of limitation as sites of possibility, like Joyce in Catholic Ireland. The tenderness and compassion with which Winkler writes is deeply moving, and speaks to the emotional solidarity at the core of our subjective experience. Loved it - big ups to the Wink dog.

[David McDonald]

I was really looking forward to reading this book, after hearing it talked about in depth on ABC radio. I know my opinion will be unpopular, but my alternate view may counterbalance the majority of 5 star views.

I can definitely understand how this book would resonate with many readers looking for something really clever and off beat, but I really struggled with it. I simply couldn't get into rhythm with the scattered style of existential, philosophical, metaphorical prose.

I gave this book a good crack, getting through at least 50 pages, but I gave up. I just couldn't figure out what was going on, and who was who. I struggled to synchronise with the flow of this book. Maybe it's just me, and didn't fit in with the way my mind works. Who knows.

[Jennifer Severn]

Once again I find myself unable to adequately review a book. I'm sure that it's brilliant and Winkler's writing does sparkle, but I found myself unable to immerse myself in the story. There is the main character but also a first person narrator, and the two appear to be different people at the beginning but start to converge towards the end… a little confusing for me. And there's a lot, a real lot, of hydrogeology in it, which I ended up skimming over as the novel progressed. And what on earth happened to his wife? Still, now I'm interested enough to pick up his first book, Grimmish, and see what all the fuss was about.

[Lyndall Thomas]

I loved this book. I also loved Grimmish. I’ve been wondering what it would be like to read this book if you hadn’t read Grimmish first. The familiarity I experienced was part of what made me love this book so much. Incredible prose. Possibly genius level. My favourite part is the perfect waxy cucumber. I too wore a customised jumpsuit announcing that I was reading Anna Karenina; I’ve never felt so seen. This book is moving and challenging and delightful and sad. Winkler is a true artist, I’m in awe of his talent and can’t wait for whatever comes next.

[James Graham]

On the back of the author’s prior book, Grimmish, I’m disappointed by this one. Winkler can be a very clever writer, and that shows in various places throughout Greifdogg. But across the full length of the book, the writing is disconnected and patchy, and the various sub-plots just don’t connect up all that well. Also, and YMMV, but the full-tilt progressive preachery just didn’t do anything for me.

So I’d give this a 2 overall, but brought up to 3 by the places where the writing really gets going.

[Stella Doona]

2.5 stars.
Reminder for myself not to take book recommendations from hot men in bookshops. Not sure if this is a spoiler but he used the word ergo and I just couldn’t deal with it. Maybe for people who are scientifically clued in, this book would be perfect. I don’t think I was the target audience for this book so I could see how people would love it. Too many smart words for me, I’m an idiot who wants it plain and nasty, I really enjoyed the parts that cut the fluff and did just that.

[Kelly Woolerton]

DnF page 132. Was excited for the concept, hated the delivery.

You can tell the writer agonised over ever single word in here - so sharp and lyrical, but also verbose and hard to read at times (perhaps im not literary enough).

The jumping around between the characters was not for me, I found it so hard to follow ans really frustrating.

A+ for lovely gender non-binary and first nations inclusion, at least where i read up to anyway.