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Schrödinger's Dog
A striking debut novel about the power of a father’s love for his son and the heart-wrenching choices he has to make in the face of death.
Yanis’s world is Pierre, the son he raised as a single parent. For nearly twenty years, Yanis spent his nights as a cabdriver with Pierre always at his side, so as not to miss a moment in each other’s company. Yanis and Pierre also share a love of diving—in pursuit of that magical moment when they lose themselves in the deep sea. When enveloped by the natural world, father and son relish an escape from life’s pressures.
But for some time, Pierre has been tired. Too tired. Despite how attentively Yanis watched him, Yanis missed the early signs of illness. Faced with the harsh reality of his son’s numbered days, Yanis struggles to invent a life his son won’t have the time to live.
Yanis’s world is Pierre, the son he raised as a single parent. For nearly twenty years, Yanis spent his nights as a cabdriver with Pierre always at his side, so as not to miss a moment in each other’s company. Yanis and Pierre also share a love of diving—in pursuit of that magical moment when they lose themselves in the deep sea. When enveloped by the natural world, father and son relish an escape from life’s pressures.
But for some time, Pierre has been tired. Too tired. Despite how attentively Yanis watched him, Yanis missed the early signs of illness. Faced with the harsh reality of his son’s numbered days, Yanis struggles to invent a life his son won’t have the time to live.
150 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2020
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149 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 29, 2020
"Schrodinger's cat is a thought experiment...a paradox...In simple terms, Schrodinger stated that if you place a cat and something that could kill the cat (a radioactive atom) in a box and seal it, you would not know if the cat was dead or alive until you opened the box, so that until the box was opened, the cat was (in a sense) both 'dead and alive'."
Yanis Mares, our narrator, describes his early morning paradox. Hearing a sound against his bedroom wall, he wonders if it is his son, Pierre or a skillful, well trained burglar. "It's easy to verify...all I have to do is act...If I act I will spoil everything...It's not Pierre, it's not a burglar. It's as if they were superimposed. As long as I don't make sure, it's a little bit of both."
Yanis has been single parent to Pierre since Lucille's death. Becoming a taxi driver and choosing a "nocturnal work routine" allowed father and son to spend more time together. Pierre was now twenty years old, a third year biology student with a penchant for writing. He was working on a novel and excitedly getting close to completion. "Being a biologist doesn't rule out being a writer of novels," stated Pierre.
Heading for the southern coast, where the cliffs were unrestrained, was the perfect locale for a three day weekend to enjoy diving, a passion passed down from father to son. "[Pierre] often said his fondness for biology came from his diving. He talked about specializing in the study of the ocean floor." Father and son dive "for the sheer pleasure of diving...you dive to enjoy the show, not to spoil everything." For Yanis, "Life, my anxieties-all that external noise...out of the water, I've never really been at ease...if you dive down...it's for calm...It's ecstasy." During their afternoon dive, Pierre insisted that he couldn't dive down and stay down, his back hurt and he was very tired. Medical tests produced the worst possible news.
How can Yanis control his ever changing,sometimes explosive, emotions? Can he create a lifeline for Pierre by helping him become a published author? Should he create a narrative for Pierre if publishing efforts fail? The novel might then be published or not published, a paradox of Yanis's creation. Do the ends justify the means?
"Schrodinger's Dog" by Martin Dumont is a short, emotional read about a young adult with so much promise and unfulfilled potential. A heartfelt ending. Kudos to Martin Dumont.
Yanis Mares, our narrator, describes his early morning paradox. Hearing a sound against his bedroom wall, he wonders if it is his son, Pierre or a skillful, well trained burglar. "It's easy to verify...all I have to do is act...If I act I will spoil everything...It's not Pierre, it's not a burglar. It's as if they were superimposed. As long as I don't make sure, it's a little bit of both."
Yanis has been single parent to Pierre since Lucille's death. Becoming a taxi driver and choosing a "nocturnal work routine" allowed father and son to spend more time together. Pierre was now twenty years old, a third year biology student with a penchant for writing. He was working on a novel and excitedly getting close to completion. "Being a biologist doesn't rule out being a writer of novels," stated Pierre.
Heading for the southern coast, where the cliffs were unrestrained, was the perfect locale for a three day weekend to enjoy diving, a passion passed down from father to son. "[Pierre] often said his fondness for biology came from his diving. He talked about specializing in the study of the ocean floor." Father and son dive "for the sheer pleasure of diving...you dive to enjoy the show, not to spoil everything." For Yanis, "Life, my anxieties-all that external noise...out of the water, I've never really been at ease...if you dive down...it's for calm...It's ecstasy." During their afternoon dive, Pierre insisted that he couldn't dive down and stay down, his back hurt and he was very tired. Medical tests produced the worst possible news.
How can Yanis control his ever changing,sometimes explosive, emotions? Can he create a lifeline for Pierre by helping him become a published author? Should he create a narrative for Pierre if publishing efforts fail? The novel might then be published or not published, a paradox of Yanis's creation. Do the ends justify the means?
"Schrodinger's Dog" by Martin Dumont is a short, emotional read about a young adult with so much promise and unfulfilled potential. A heartfelt ending. Kudos to Martin Dumont.
July 21, 2021
John Cullen, who translated this book - beautifully, as far as I can tell - along with many others, passed away in April. I only became aware of his work as a translator within the past year or two, though he lived for some time in my area, and a good friend of mine knew him. I'll be reading more of his translations. Sometimes you don't miss people until they're gone. Sad but true.
https://mailchi.mp/otherpress/john-cu...
https://mailchi.mp/otherpress/john-cu...
June 7, 2024
I read an arc for an English translation, and enjoyed this powerful little book that delves into the difficult subject of loss and grief. I can only imagine how good the original version was, as the language in the translation was beautiful.
April 5, 2020
First-time novelist and naval architect Martin Dumont strikes a melancholy note in “Schrödinger’s Dog.”
The novel tells the story of Yanis Marès, a taxi driver in an unnamed French city, and his son, Pierre, a half-hearted student of biology whose true love is the theater and writing. Yanis’s wife, Lucille, took her life when Pierre was four years old, leaving Yanis to raise his son alone. Father and son share a love of snorkeling and shallow water diving.
The narrative begins as Yanis and Pierre head out for a long weekend of diving, presumably in Brittany on the English Channel. During the weekend Pierre experiences symptoms that lead to hospitalization and the diagnosis of a pancreatic mass. Initially optimistic of the outcome, the surgeon shares the post-operative news that the tumor was larger than initially suspected, too large to be removed in its entirety without injury to surrounding organs. Worse, there was evidence that the tumor had already spread to other parts of Pierre’s body.
At the time of the illness’s onset Pierre had been attempting to complete the first draft of a novel. He strives to fight through the side effects of chemotherapy and finish the book. From his hospital bed he hands his father the finished manuscript, requesting Yanis to submit it to publishing houses for consideration.
Yanis complies with his son’s request, sending the manuscript to more than a score of editors. After more than a month the first responses trickle in. all of them “No,” they say with little or no further comment. All through this month Pierre is losing his battle against his disease and has been placed on hospice care in order that the last days or weeks of his life can be spent in comfort and dignity. Each day he asks his father whether there has been any response to the submissions. Each day Yanis lies to his son, advising patience.
To avoid stripping his son of hope that the novel will be published, Yanis resorts to deception, a decision he makes only after great internal debate. Dumont’s description of the struggle and its outcome occupies the second half of this brief novel. His depiction of the father and son’s last hours together are unadorned in style yet stunning in effect.
“Schrödinger’s Dog” is a short novel that will ask little more than an afternoon of the reader’s time. It will be an afternoon well spent. The depth of feeling conveyed by Dumont’s writing is remarkable. And John Cullen’s translation from French feels as natural as breathing.
The novel tells the story of Yanis Marès, a taxi driver in an unnamed French city, and his son, Pierre, a half-hearted student of biology whose true love is the theater and writing. Yanis’s wife, Lucille, took her life when Pierre was four years old, leaving Yanis to raise his son alone. Father and son share a love of snorkeling and shallow water diving.
The narrative begins as Yanis and Pierre head out for a long weekend of diving, presumably in Brittany on the English Channel. During the weekend Pierre experiences symptoms that lead to hospitalization and the diagnosis of a pancreatic mass. Initially optimistic of the outcome, the surgeon shares the post-operative news that the tumor was larger than initially suspected, too large to be removed in its entirety without injury to surrounding organs. Worse, there was evidence that the tumor had already spread to other parts of Pierre’s body.
At the time of the illness’s onset Pierre had been attempting to complete the first draft of a novel. He strives to fight through the side effects of chemotherapy and finish the book. From his hospital bed he hands his father the finished manuscript, requesting Yanis to submit it to publishing houses for consideration.
Yanis complies with his son’s request, sending the manuscript to more than a score of editors. After more than a month the first responses trickle in. all of them “No,” they say with little or no further comment. All through this month Pierre is losing his battle against his disease and has been placed on hospice care in order that the last days or weeks of his life can be spent in comfort and dignity. Each day he asks his father whether there has been any response to the submissions. Each day Yanis lies to his son, advising patience.
To avoid stripping his son of hope that the novel will be published, Yanis resorts to deception, a decision he makes only after great internal debate. Dumont’s description of the struggle and its outcome occupies the second half of this brief novel. His depiction of the father and son’s last hours together are unadorned in style yet stunning in effect.
“Schrödinger’s Dog” is a short novel that will ask little more than an afternoon of the reader’s time. It will be an afternoon well spent. The depth of feeling conveyed by Dumont’s writing is remarkable. And John Cullen’s translation from French feels as natural as breathing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2020
You can also find this review on my
book blog.
Schrödinger's Dog is Martin Dumont’s debut novel. Told in first person it follows Yanis, a cabdriver, who is a single parent to Pierre. In the early days when Pierre was younger his dad used to take him everywhere in his taxi and they had fun together – but the one thing they both love most is diving. Their mutual love for diving is something they both come back to even now when Pierre is in his twenties. Yanis mostly works nights as a cabdriver so that he can have time to see his son during the day. Pierre has friends, he goes out and Yanis can’t always watch him carefully. Yanis and Pierre are great divers, Pierre (because of his age) is even better than Yanis and can last longer underwater. One day when diving Pierre complains that his back hurts and that they should stop – this is worrisome to Yanis because Pierre never complains when it comes to diving. From this moment on, Pierre begins to get worse and ends up in hospital. Yanis does his best to help his son, but at what cost?
Schrödinger's Dog is a short book but a powerful one. The writing style in it is gorgeous so kudos to the translator! The chapters are relatively short so you can definitely read it in a few hours but the story inside is quite sad. I found Yanis to be so dedicated to helping his son and I loved that about him. I feel like his actions could be justified because if a person is brought into that situation they’d always do things to make their loved ones feel better. I really loved hearing Yanis talk about the times spent together with his son as well as Yanis’ descriptions of what diving means to him, how it transports him.
Definitely recommend.
I would like to thank the publisher (Other Press) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.
Schrödinger's Dog is Martin Dumont’s debut novel. Told in first person it follows Yanis, a cabdriver, who is a single parent to Pierre. In the early days when Pierre was younger his dad used to take him everywhere in his taxi and they had fun together – but the one thing they both love most is diving. Their mutual love for diving is something they both come back to even now when Pierre is in his twenties. Yanis mostly works nights as a cabdriver so that he can have time to see his son during the day. Pierre has friends, he goes out and Yanis can’t always watch him carefully. Yanis and Pierre are great divers, Pierre (because of his age) is even better than Yanis and can last longer underwater. One day when diving Pierre complains that his back hurts and that they should stop – this is worrisome to Yanis because Pierre never complains when it comes to diving. From this moment on, Pierre begins to get worse and ends up in hospital. Yanis does his best to help his son, but at what cost?
Schrödinger's Dog is a short book but a powerful one. The writing style in it is gorgeous so kudos to the translator! The chapters are relatively short so you can definitely read it in a few hours but the story inside is quite sad. I found Yanis to be so dedicated to helping his son and I loved that about him. I feel like his actions could be justified because if a person is brought into that situation they’d always do things to make their loved ones feel better. I really loved hearing Yanis talk about the times spent together with his son as well as Yanis’ descriptions of what diving means to him, how it transports him.
Definitely recommend.
I would like to thank the publisher (Other Press) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.
February 7, 2022
I would never pretend to understand quantum physics, but I have always liked the concept of Schrödinger's Cat. The premise is that a neutron and a cat are placed in a box. There is a 50 50 chance that the neutron will decay, releasing a toxic product that will kill the cat. Until the box is opened, the likelihood the the cat is alive or dead is equal. Thus either position, the cat is alive - the cat is dead - is true. Dumont first introduces this idea in the death of the main character's wife in an auto accident. Lucille had a history of depression, so was the event suicide or misadventure. The authorities have declared the event as an accident. This is a box that can never be opened. There is no way to determine the "truth". How does one deal with the inability to "know the truth"? This is a recurrent theme to the very end. What is truth? Is it ever good to lie? When Yanis’s son is stricken with pancreatic cancer, he is haunted about the nature of truth. Excellent novel. Kristi & Abby Tabby
July 26, 2024
Dumont has a knack for expressing Yanis’ rollercoaster of emotions throughout the course of Pierre’s illness. I felt like I was truly on a ride together with Yanis and experiencing highs and lows alongside him.
Dumont’s writing style is simple yet impactful and packs a punch. As the story progresses, you get to appreciate and emphatise with the protagonist as more tragic life events are unfolded.
In this book, you will learn to understand a plain man of few words deeply, and experience how he copes with his son’s terminal illness - and meet some characters briefly along the way that would end up guiding him greatly.
It was a page turner for me and I caught myself coming back for more each time I had to stop!
Dumont’s writing style is simple yet impactful and packs a punch. As the story progresses, you get to appreciate and emphatise with the protagonist as more tragic life events are unfolded.
In this book, you will learn to understand a plain man of few words deeply, and experience how he copes with his son’s terminal illness - and meet some characters briefly along the way that would end up guiding him greatly.
It was a page turner for me and I caught myself coming back for more each time I had to stop!
December 16, 2020
This is a quick and beautiful read that will GUARANTEE to make you cry. I imagine it's much better in its original French text, but this translation appears to be excellent. For being a debut novel, it's filled with wonderful imagery and has some great character development, particularly the main character Yanis. The story revolves around the love and sacrifice between father and son, and the lengths parents will go to for their child(ren). Without giving things away, the ending is both beautifully heartbreaking and somewhat ambiguous. It's a story that will resonate with you for a long time.
June 13, 2024
I think this is my best (blind buying) so far. When I looked at the cover, I thought this book would give me a pleasant feeling. But, it wasn't. It broke my heart. Even though this book only has 150 pages, I need a couple of days to finish it. Not because the story wasn't good, but it was too personal.
The relationship between father and son is very intimate in this book. The book focuses on the journey of Pierre and Yanis. I love their interactions.
The relationship between father and son is very intimate in this book. The book focuses on the journey of Pierre and Yanis. I love their interactions.
May 2, 2020
Ultimately this ended up being a good book. The first chapter was painful more because it seemed like an awkward translation but as the book progressed, it stopped bothering me so much. My feeling is that given the imagery and intensity of this story grief and loss, it was probably much better in it's native language. I wish I had kept up with my French. Definitely worth reading.
August 3, 2021
Yanis gets bad news that his son is sick and needs surgery. But the surgeon can’t remove the entire tumor, and Pierre starts treatments. It’s a variation of a coming of age story, but the story is about and for Yanis, the father. It was a depressing story, but it made me think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2020
Good character development. Such tragic events that the book will bring sad memories to any reader who has suffered a loss of a loved one. Tough going.
December 20, 2020
I got through this quickly. Good book, I have some questions due to the title but was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of the relationship the main character has with others.
February 9, 2021
sparse prose and stunning imagery. Heartbreaking but beautiful.
December 6, 2021
Stunning. Somber and beautiful. I couldn’t put it down and it brought me to tears. Highly recommend
May 10, 2023
cried literally every chapter. gut-wrenching. heartbreaking.
October 22, 2024
It is a beautiful book about a parent losing their child and the references to schrodingers theory throughout were nicely done without overdoing it. It was a good read
December 17, 2025
Heartbreaking little book
July 12, 2025
Honestly a pretty boring book. The storyline was decent, the writing was okay—nothing special. The most I can say is that I liked the father’s character because he was a nice guy, and a good father, but it doesn’t go beyond that. I found the majority of it to be bland; I even found myself skimming towards the last few chapters because it really couldn’t hold my interest.
June 10, 2020
Read the English translation.
August 2, 2020
Story of a father and his sick son. Really sweet and powerful. I love the use of Schrodinger's cat/dog. I love that we are in the head of the father. Sad and meaningful book.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews