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

[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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[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.

[Lyndall Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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.

[Gavan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - loved it. At its simplest, this is a well paced, very entertaining and very funny novel about a bloke having a mid-life crisis when he unexpectedly inherits some money. But it is so much more than that. It also causes the reader to consider so many things - the environment (particularly water), inherited memory (love the concept of water's memory), family, work/life balance, the overwhelming number of decisions we need to make in modern life, country living in a small town, guilt, health, religion, philosophy, love ... and I'm probably forgetting a few along the way. All contained in very readable literary prose with great characters. And lots of "Dad jokes" and witty asides. Even a sex scene!

[Oscar Kearsley]

Incredible. A funny, deeply melancholic story told in some of the best prose I've read. The experimental structure of the book is genius. So many themes are being tackled within such a short time, yet none feel undercooked. I highly recommend this to anyone who usually avoids often uninspired Australian literature.

[Wayne Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning

[perth ratbag · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[edga net · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Text Publishing]

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

‘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

[Garth Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal..