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Emotive
Emotive is a tale of life, love, compassion, and the pursuit of happiness as told through the eyes of the story's narrator, Linus. Linus is a puppy living in a small city located in the rolling hillsides of upstate New York. When the abnormalities of his owner Sam are all he knows since birth, he gains a perspective of unyielding acceptance and love towards the man who feeds him, takes him to the park, and murders women in his basement.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 15, 2016
I absolutely love that synopsis- particularly the last line. It was what convinced me to give this book a try, when my last attempt at reading a dog’s viewpoint turned into a DNF before even the second chapter. Luckily, Emotive paid off. Emotive is a unique and interesting story about a dog’s struggle for survival and a life worth living.
What I found most remarkable about Emotive was the tone of it. Plenty dark at times, somehow Emotive managed to take the optimistic and naive personality of a dog and bring it to life. I found myself loving Linus, who was the perfect characterization of a loyal and unconditionally loving companion. It’s so interesting to see the dark acts of a deranged murderer from the viewpoint of a retriever mix.
One of my favorite things about Emotive was the ending. There are some books that are tied together so well, it leaves you with a breath of relief, and Emotive was one of those books. It was tense up until the very end, and the resolution was tied together so intricately in the eyes of the narrator that it left me with a feeling of relaxed contentedness, even though this was certainly not a feel-good book.
Overall, Emotive was compelling, intelligent, and – towards the end – heartwarming. It’s a story that truly stands out in the midst of cookie-cutter novels and leaves you with something more than you felt before reading it.
What I found most remarkable about Emotive was the tone of it. Plenty dark at times, somehow Emotive managed to take the optimistic and naive personality of a dog and bring it to life. I found myself loving Linus, who was the perfect characterization of a loyal and unconditionally loving companion. It’s so interesting to see the dark acts of a deranged murderer from the viewpoint of a retriever mix.
One of my favorite things about Emotive was the ending. There are some books that are tied together so well, it leaves you with a breath of relief, and Emotive was one of those books. It was tense up until the very end, and the resolution was tied together so intricately in the eyes of the narrator that it left me with a feeling of relaxed contentedness, even though this was certainly not a feel-good book.
Overall, Emotive was compelling, intelligent, and – towards the end – heartwarming. It’s a story that truly stands out in the midst of cookie-cutter novels and leaves you with something more than you felt before reading it.
November 6, 2016
It turns out that Emotive is very different than I expected, but damn! Can I just say how much I love this freakin' book? I never expected to be hit so hard emotionally, and I never expected to be left just a little bit changed, which is the entire point of well written literature to me.
The story is told from the perspective of Linus, the dog, and I have read several books that were told from a pets' perspective, but nothing like this. They are usually among the more fluffy variety like cozies, and holiday reads, but Emotive takes things to an entirely new level.
How the hell Kevin Laymon got in the head of a Linus the way that he has is mind blowing. I have been around animals my entire life, and always believed that I had a good understanding of how they think and feel. After reading Emotive, I now see the way in which a pet thinks and feels as a much different and more meaningful way than ever before. I love you, Linus!
This is a seriously well crafted, multi dimensional read that is filled with writing magic that doesn't come along everyday. It creates an emotional roller coaster in the reader, leaves something lasting behind in the mind of it's reader, and is powerful enough to create change. Damn! Any author who is gifted enough to not only evoke such emotion, but can do all of that (especially in a reader like me, who averages 100 books a year) is a an author that I want on my automatic order list.
The story is told from the perspective of Linus, the dog, and I have read several books that were told from a pets' perspective, but nothing like this. They are usually among the more fluffy variety like cozies, and holiday reads, but Emotive takes things to an entirely new level.
How the hell Kevin Laymon got in the head of a Linus the way that he has is mind blowing. I have been around animals my entire life, and always believed that I had a good understanding of how they think and feel. After reading Emotive, I now see the way in which a pet thinks and feels as a much different and more meaningful way than ever before. I love you, Linus!
This is a seriously well crafted, multi dimensional read that is filled with writing magic that doesn't come along everyday. It creates an emotional roller coaster in the reader, leaves something lasting behind in the mind of it's reader, and is powerful enough to create change. Damn! Any author who is gifted enough to not only evoke such emotion, but can do all of that (especially in a reader like me, who averages 100 books a year) is a an author that I want on my automatic order list.
July 4, 2016
I'm not sure I read the same book as everyone else. The intriguing blurb pushed this book to the top of my "I need to buy and read this" list, but I feel like my expectations were not delivered. I thought it would be a bit more comedic, which was my undoing because the good majority of this book is fairly gruesome and very sad concerning poor, adorable Linus. The first half felt like an imitation Saw movie, which is really not my cup of tea. While I like thrillers, I hate meaningless violence, especially when it's shown so graphically. This wasn't at all thrilling though. Even worse, there's no explanation or warning as to why Linus' owner just decides one day to start chopping up women. Even Linus should have been able to pick up on his owner's premeditative decision and preparation, and thus alert the observing reader through his naive puppy observations (like he did when Sam very obviously kidnapped the first girl; even though Linus himself didn't connect the dots, his observation of what was happening still makes it extremely obvious to the reader, who is more knowledgeable than he is). And really, no one called the police after hearing women screaming every day from the house and power tools being used at night?
The only redeeming quality is Linus himself. As a narrator, I believed full heartedly that Linus was genuine. He acts like a puppy would, and his obliviousness to what his owner is doing makes sense. Of course a dog wouldn't understand why his master would be revving up power tools in the basement in the middle of the night: perhaps Master is simply building something. He is naive and simply wants to enjoy the company of his owner, even when said owner is abusive towards him. His selfless character had me rooting for him to find happiness.
I grimaced through the first half of the story. Once Linus I found myself perking up, hoping Linus would finally find happiness. But no, it just dragged on like a Jack London novel about dogs in miserable situations (and for your information, I actually love "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang"). The ending didn't shock me, and I shed no tears. For once in my life, I was dry-eyed as I came to the end of a dog story. Who thought it would be possible?
Utterly fascinating premise, but lack of editing (there are quite a few errors sprinkled throughout, which in such a short book makes it feel as though the editor was merely skimming because they too were disappointed with how this awesome plot was written) and portrayal of such an illogical murderer (he had no plans and simply murdered whoever came into his living room, right there on the carpet. Surely he should've known this was a no-no in how-to-be-a-murderer-101) really let me down. The dialogue is also extremely awful (no one in real life talks like any of the human characters. Linus' internal dialogue had a very nice flow though).
My favorite part was when Linus befriended Tess the cow. I wish they'd been able to finish digging that hole and run away together.
The only redeeming quality is Linus himself. As a narrator, I believed full heartedly that Linus was genuine. He acts like a puppy would, and his obliviousness to what his owner is doing makes sense. Of course a dog wouldn't understand why his master would be revving up power tools in the basement in the middle of the night: perhaps Master is simply building something. He is naive and simply wants to enjoy the company of his owner, even when said owner is abusive towards him. His selfless character had me rooting for him to find happiness.
I grimaced through the first half of the story. Once Linus I found myself perking up, hoping Linus would finally find happiness. But no, it just dragged on like a Jack London novel about dogs in miserable situations (and for your information, I actually love "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang"). The ending didn't shock me, and I shed no tears. For once in my life, I was dry-eyed as I came to the end of a dog story. Who thought it would be possible?
Utterly fascinating premise, but lack of editing (there are quite a few errors sprinkled throughout, which in such a short book makes it feel as though the editor was merely skimming because they too were disappointed with how this awesome plot was written) and portrayal of such an illogical murderer (he had no plans and simply murdered whoever came into his living room, right there on the carpet. Surely he should've known this was a no-no in how-to-be-a-murderer-101) really let me down. The dialogue is also extremely awful (no one in real life talks like any of the human characters. Linus' internal dialogue had a very nice flow though).
My favorite part was when Linus befriended Tess the cow. I wish they'd been able to finish digging that hole and run away together.
February 14, 2016
Book Review: Emotive By Kevin Laymon
Emotive, a powerful tale narrated by a loving and young canine will keep your eyes scrolling from line to line and hand turning from page to page. Linus lives with his alpha male owner, Sam, a man who kills women and keeps them in his basement. After a tumultuous chain of events, Linus walks though life trying to find a reason to live. When finishing the pages of this book, I could only describe it in one word…beautiful.
A few of Laymon’s themes include corruption, murder, and suicide. Although gruesome and brutal at times, the book is able to blend these harsh elements with the kind-heartedness and light spirit of a young pup.
Emotive, a powerful tale narrated by a loving and young canine will keep your eyes scrolling from line to line and hand turning from page to page. Linus lives with his alpha male owner, Sam, a man who kills women and keeps them in his basement. After a tumultuous chain of events, Linus walks though life trying to find a reason to live. When finishing the pages of this book, I could only describe it in one word…beautiful.
A few of Laymon’s themes include corruption, murder, and suicide. Although gruesome and brutal at times, the book is able to blend these harsh elements with the kind-heartedness and light spirit of a young pup.
January 12, 2019
DNF! This book was horrible and utter rubbish! I can not believe people liked it and gave 5 stars. This book was written like a YA book with gore and violence. Having a dog think and perceive the world like a human would is NOT writing from a dog's perspective. Linus had a concept and vocabulary of a young adult human. He know and understood things a dog would not. A dog would NOT know what a commercial was and that it was trying to sell him something. It just made it so unbelievable for me. It took away from the story that was about a killer who kills so haphazardly. No one would like center of their living room every time and clean up every time. It's just ridiculous. The author tried to hard to make it sensational and graphic but didn't hit the mark. He made Linus the brunt of every bad thing that could happen to an individual. I don't know what he was trying to do by constantly having Linus endure everything under the sun.
I really tried to finish this book but I couldn't. To me the author tried for a great concept but just couldn't pull it off. Very disappointed.
I really tried to finish this book but I couldn't. To me the author tried for a great concept but just couldn't pull it off. Very disappointed.
April 24, 2016
I absolutely loved this book. I stumbled upon it on accident while searching for giveaways. Being a huge dog lover is why the cover sparked my interest. The description interested me a lot, even though I knew it was probably going to be a grim book. I love how the book is told from the dog's point of view. It really makes you think about the emotions dogs probably really do feel, but can't communicate to us. This book went in directions I didn't expect. I was kept at suspense and enjoyed how it all played out.
September 8, 2017
Fair warning, this book will rip your heart out. Don’t worry it’ll return it eventually but holy moly is it one hell of a ride. Of all the murders in this book, I have to admit the cow was the hardest. After all Linus had been through, I had tears streaming down my face as I read those pages. How alone he must of felt. How betrayed by humans. How completely hopeless he must of found it all.
Sam will boggle your mind. He’s a total psycho, of that I have no doubt, but he also has one glimpse of remorse for poor Linus. I had a bit of hope for our little K9 hero but that hope was quickly dashed when Sam fell deeper into his obsession and paranoia. It was hard to see Sam discard Linus from his affection. It was hard to see Linus’ basic needs not be met and realize how animals must feel when us humans don’t make them a priority. When we forget to feed them on time or their water bowl doesn’t get refilled or we make them wait hours and hours on end before we let them out to potty. It was eye opening to see how emotionally devastating it is to animal kind to be at the absolute mercy of someone else’s compassion……or lack there of.
It was incredibly hard to see humans fail this one dog over and over again. This is a sight of our kind that will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and a brand new perspective. As I read, my own two dogs lay next to the tub and I caught myself looking at them multiple times wondering just what they were thinking and what they thought of me. I didn’t expect to be so affected. As a pet owner and human in general, this story will inspire some introspection and I was definitely not expecting that when I began to read.
The climax is cleverly crafted and brings everything full circle. Laymon has written a masterpiece. I strongly suggest you read it.
Want more reviews? Check out my blog https://alliesopinions.wordpress.com/
Sam will boggle your mind. He’s a total psycho, of that I have no doubt, but he also has one glimpse of remorse for poor Linus. I had a bit of hope for our little K9 hero but that hope was quickly dashed when Sam fell deeper into his obsession and paranoia. It was hard to see Sam discard Linus from his affection. It was hard to see Linus’ basic needs not be met and realize how animals must feel when us humans don’t make them a priority. When we forget to feed them on time or their water bowl doesn’t get refilled or we make them wait hours and hours on end before we let them out to potty. It was eye opening to see how emotionally devastating it is to animal kind to be at the absolute mercy of someone else’s compassion……or lack there of.
It was incredibly hard to see humans fail this one dog over and over again. This is a sight of our kind that will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and a brand new perspective. As I read, my own two dogs lay next to the tub and I caught myself looking at them multiple times wondering just what they were thinking and what they thought of me. I didn’t expect to be so affected. As a pet owner and human in general, this story will inspire some introspection and I was definitely not expecting that when I began to read.
The climax is cleverly crafted and brings everything full circle. Laymon has written a masterpiece. I strongly suggest you read it.
Want more reviews? Check out my blog https://alliesopinions.wordpress.com/
August 21, 2021
( Format : Audiobook )
"It's a dog's life."
This is not the sort of book This reader would normally chose - I do not much like dogs, yes, there are some of us around - but I have very much enjoyed performances by the narrator, George Kuch, in the past so decided to give it a try. And am so glad that I did. It is charming and, at times, graphic in accounts of violence as well as 'accidents'; rather fanciful, perhaps, in the main protagonist's relating events from his, Linus' point of view. But it works. And the reader travels with the little dog, faithful and loving towards violent and murderous first owner, trying always to be a good boy and, later, after he had been deserted, still looking for home.
As anticipated, George Kuch was an excellent narrator, telling the story in his intimate way direct to the reader: a perfect fit for this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Emotive and must warmly thank the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. Easy to read, this is a tale which will stay with me into the future: not so much the details but the emotional feelings behind it - I even feel more generously inclined towards dogs now, at least in tbeory. So this is a book I can recommend to all, even those whose liking for real life canines is not particularly strong.
"It's a dog's life."
This is not the sort of book This reader would normally chose - I do not much like dogs, yes, there are some of us around - but I have very much enjoyed performances by the narrator, George Kuch, in the past so decided to give it a try. And am so glad that I did. It is charming and, at times, graphic in accounts of violence as well as 'accidents'; rather fanciful, perhaps, in the main protagonist's relating events from his, Linus' point of view. But it works. And the reader travels with the little dog, faithful and loving towards violent and murderous first owner, trying always to be a good boy and, later, after he had been deserted, still looking for home.
As anticipated, George Kuch was an excellent narrator, telling the story in his intimate way direct to the reader: a perfect fit for this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Emotive and must warmly thank the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. Easy to read, this is a tale which will stay with me into the future: not so much the details but the emotional feelings behind it - I even feel more generously inclined towards dogs now, at least in tbeory. So this is a book I can recommend to all, even those whose liking for real life canines is not particularly strong.
December 11, 2018
This was a good book, and the concept was incredibly interesting. I love the idea of reading about a serial killer's dog, and it truly was an emotive book! That being said, it felt a bit rushed and the language seemed aimed at children to an extent. I understand that the idea is that time flies faster for dogs and that they don't have the language comprehension for certain words, but the book was quite short and would have been so much better with just a little more detail. The characters' lives were so interesting, and Linus' experiences even more so, but so much of it was rushed it made it hard to process and enjoy the book to what it should have been. That being said, I have no regrets about reading it, and if anyone is looking for a good short read this is the book for you!
January 20, 2018
One of the best books I have ever read.
Linus has got to be one of the sweetest dogs. He suffers so much loss, but still he carries on. He tugs at your heartstrings. You will appreciate what he does for Layla and Charlie. This book was hard to put down.
Linus has got to be one of the sweetest dogs. He suffers so much loss, but still he carries on. He tugs at your heartstrings. You will appreciate what he does for Layla and Charlie. This book was hard to put down.
June 29, 2022
Audible:This was life with a serial killer as told by a dog. I enjoyed it! George Kuch was a terrific voice for the dog! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
October 17, 2021
~Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook of this title~
I was intrigued by the premise of this story. A serial killer from a dog's perspective is compelling, but ultimately I have been left less than impressed. Although, I will say that the narrator did a good job with the story.
However, perhaps due to my obsessive interest in dogs, I found the perspective of the dog less than immersive. Dogs are not going to understand that commercials are trying to sell you something, and they don’t understand everything a human says. There were times I felt the perspective to be good, but other times I was dragged out of the story by the very undoglike perspective.
There is a fair bit of gore and whatnot in this story. If that is off-putting to you....well.... I guess I’m surprised that after reading the blurb you would be interested. I mean.....a serial killer kinda implies there is going to be death.
I would note that the kindle version wasn’t well formatted. It isn’t the biggest deal, but I find that a bit annoying. Maybe that will get fixed in the future. Fingers crossed.
I think overall I did end up feeling compelled to keep listening/reading. So, I figure a three star rating is fair. It wasn’t perfect, but I think if you enjoy the premise and are okay with a dark story then you could enjoy this.
I was intrigued by the premise of this story. A serial killer from a dog's perspective is compelling, but ultimately I have been left less than impressed. Although, I will say that the narrator did a good job with the story.
However, perhaps due to my obsessive interest in dogs, I found the perspective of the dog less than immersive. Dogs are not going to understand that commercials are trying to sell you something, and they don’t understand everything a human says. There were times I felt the perspective to be good, but other times I was dragged out of the story by the very undoglike perspective.
There is a fair bit of gore and whatnot in this story. If that is off-putting to you....well.... I guess I’m surprised that after reading the blurb you would be interested. I mean.....a serial killer kinda implies there is going to be death.
I would note that the kindle version wasn’t well formatted. It isn’t the biggest deal, but I find that a bit annoying. Maybe that will get fixed in the future. Fingers crossed.
I think overall I did end up feeling compelled to keep listening/reading. So, I figure a three star rating is fair. It wasn’t perfect, but I think if you enjoy the premise and are okay with a dark story then you could enjoy this.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews