What do you think?
Rate this book
Feed My Dear Dogs
In Feed My Dear Dogs , Emma Richler returns to the life of the Weiss family, first introduced to readers in her debut–and much-celebrated–book, Sister Crazy , through a series of interconnected stories narrated by Jemima (Jem) Weiss.
The Weisses are a tight unit of father Yaakov, a gruff sportswriter whose love for his children is manifest in his stern instructions and impromptu boxing lessons; mother Frances, a wise and gentle beauty adored by her family, almost to the point of obsession by her husband; Ben, the most heroic of the siblings, by virtue of birth-order and also for knowing the answer to all questions; Jude, Jem’s almost-twin, who is only fifteen months older than she and the most serious of the children, careful to point out the anti-Semitic leanings of Jem’s literary heroes; Jem, the narrator, who would prefer to never leave the comforting confines of her family; delicate yet hilarious Harriet, Jem’s only sister, who can sound like a little old lady or a sultry vixen, depending on what movie she’s quoting; and Gus, the frail little boy who completes the circle at the beginning of the book with his birth and arrival home from the hospital.
Feed My Dear Dogs beings with the family in London, where eight-year-old Jem and her sister attend a convent school to the consternation of most of the nuns, since not only are the Weiss children not Catholic, but, most perplexingly, they are half-Jewish. Not surprisingly, Jem prefers home to school. At home she is surrounded by the books she loves, (particularly Tintin and Le Morte d’Arthur ) and the comforts only a big, happy family can provide.
Soon, however, the family departs for Canada –“Dad’s country,” as the children see it–where together they begin a new life, shuttling between a Montreal townhouse and a country home, and adapting to their new land –even creating the “Weiss on Ice” hockey team. No matter where the family is, each member is fiercely loyal to home. From the use of short “Out. Back soon. – Jude” to a simple “I’ll be up in my room!” yelled down the stairs, to Yaakov’s frantic bellowing of “Frances!” through the house, the family keeps close tabs on its members, which also allows Jem to subconsciously control “. . . my universe still the Universe, a place I wander with a slight swagger.”
But the comfort and security of family can’t last forever, Jem learns in high school, as Jude plans an extensive travel itinerary for himself and Ben contemplates moving out on his own. Meanwhile, Jem’s burgeoning feminism pits her against her father and brothers while she battles with a burden of guilt over the near-drowning death of her youngest brother. Spiraling into a breakdown by the story’s tragically beautiful end, Jem discovers that families simply can not remain fixed, like the stars in the galaxies, unchanged forever.
Intermingled through the story of the Weiss family are Jem’s (and her siblings’) encyclopedic knowledge of history, literature, film, religion and language. Richler also interweaves the almost mythic life story of Frances, the family’s matriarch, into the book, and provides glimpses into Jem’s troubled mind through a series of present-day conversations with her therapist, all of which serve to create a fully drawn portrait of Jem, her mother and the bond between them and the family as a whole.
From the Hardcover edition.
The Weisses are a tight unit of father Yaakov, a gruff sportswriter whose love for his children is manifest in his stern instructions and impromptu boxing lessons; mother Frances, a wise and gentle beauty adored by her family, almost to the point of obsession by her husband; Ben, the most heroic of the siblings, by virtue of birth-order and also for knowing the answer to all questions; Jude, Jem’s almost-twin, who is only fifteen months older than she and the most serious of the children, careful to point out the anti-Semitic leanings of Jem’s literary heroes; Jem, the narrator, who would prefer to never leave the comforting confines of her family; delicate yet hilarious Harriet, Jem’s only sister, who can sound like a little old lady or a sultry vixen, depending on what movie she’s quoting; and Gus, the frail little boy who completes the circle at the beginning of the book with his birth and arrival home from the hospital.
Feed My Dear Dogs beings with the family in London, where eight-year-old Jem and her sister attend a convent school to the consternation of most of the nuns, since not only are the Weiss children not Catholic, but, most perplexingly, they are half-Jewish. Not surprisingly, Jem prefers home to school. At home she is surrounded by the books she loves, (particularly Tintin and Le Morte d’Arthur ) and the comforts only a big, happy family can provide.
Soon, however, the family departs for Canada –“Dad’s country,” as the children see it–where together they begin a new life, shuttling between a Montreal townhouse and a country home, and adapting to their new land –even creating the “Weiss on Ice” hockey team. No matter where the family is, each member is fiercely loyal to home. From the use of short “Out. Back soon. – Jude” to a simple “I’ll be up in my room!” yelled down the stairs, to Yaakov’s frantic bellowing of “Frances!” through the house, the family keeps close tabs on its members, which also allows Jem to subconsciously control “. . . my universe still the Universe, a place I wander with a slight swagger.”
But the comfort and security of family can’t last forever, Jem learns in high school, as Jude plans an extensive travel itinerary for himself and Ben contemplates moving out on his own. Meanwhile, Jem’s burgeoning feminism pits her against her father and brothers while she battles with a burden of guilt over the near-drowning death of her youngest brother. Spiraling into a breakdown by the story’s tragically beautiful end, Jem discovers that families simply can not remain fixed, like the stars in the galaxies, unchanged forever.
Intermingled through the story of the Weiss family are Jem’s (and her siblings’) encyclopedic knowledge of history, literature, film, religion and language. Richler also interweaves the almost mythic life story of Frances, the family’s matriarch, into the book, and provides glimpses into Jem’s troubled mind through a series of present-day conversations with her therapist, all of which serve to create a fully drawn portrait of Jem, her mother and the bond between them and the family as a whole.
From the Hardcover edition.
- GenresCanada
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
5 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 18, 2021
This is a very rich, dense book to read- as indicated by the amount of time it took me to wade through it, yet when I am reading, I am constantly moving in my mind as Richler makes connection after connection with references and the narrator’s daily life. It is an excellent example of stream of consciousness style, with a tighter grammatical structure than is usually found in other novels, such as Ducks, Newburyport. It is hard to follow all the tangents, but none are really gratuitous. I wondered if it would be better as a memoir, but I think the imaginary characters function in a much more lively fashion than a memoir would have. For example, Jem’s character has aspects you might find in many of the author’s siblings; likewise, Harriet has much of the author in her. This narrative seems to be a distillation of all aspects of the author and certain themes presented clearly by the end. This could only be done in a novel.
May 22, 2023
I put this on my list of Books to Read After Finals because of a review by Jonathon Coe in the “Guardian Review”: “how to write about a childhood that is almost idyllically stable and loving”. I always assumed it was a memoir, but it’s actually a novel, told from the point of view of a young girl called Jem, about her life in the Weiss family of London and Canada, the nuns who teach her in the convent schools, her special bonds with her siblings - particularly her closest brother, Jude; her younger sister, Harriet; baby brother, Gus; and oldest brother, Ben, who nevertheless seems subordinate to Jude; and of course her parents, Frances and Yaakov.
I read this book very slowly, not because I wasn’t enjoying it but because I didn’t want it to end, to leave Jem’s company and delightful worldview. Richler weaves together references to Shackleton’s polar expedition, Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur”, Sherlock Holmes, religious paintings and iconography, “Oliver Twist”, “Gone with the Wind”, “Shane”, and countless minute and perfect rituals of family life, which, though unique, feel familiar.
The ending is poignant and breathless, as all of this swirls together, rushing towards…
You should read it to experience it for yourself. And then tell me about it!
I read this book very slowly, not because I wasn’t enjoying it but because I didn’t want it to end, to leave Jem’s company and delightful worldview. Richler weaves together references to Shackleton’s polar expedition, Malory’s “Morte d’Arthur”, Sherlock Holmes, religious paintings and iconography, “Oliver Twist”, “Gone with the Wind”, “Shane”, and countless minute and perfect rituals of family life, which, though unique, feel familiar.
The ending is poignant and breathless, as all of this swirls together, rushing towards…
You should read it to experience it for yourself. And then tell me about it!
February 12, 2015
This book is very demanding of the reader. You must be able to follow the swift travel of Jem's mind from her observations of her family to her thoughts on astronomy and the universe, the Bronte children, her favourite books Tintin and Le morte d'Artur, the movie hero Shane, Jesus, Shackleton of Antarctica fame, boxing, bagels and on and on. Her imagination is spectacular. She is the middle child in a family of five and what a singular family it is. Each child is unique in Jem's eyes with wondrous traits, and the parents are larger than life. Dad is a boisterous always-in-motion man besotted with his lovely all-knowing wife loved beyond measure by the children. We see the family as Jem sees it as she matures from ten to fourteen years. There is no plot, unless you can call moving from mom's country England to Dad's country Canada a plot. I enjoyed the writing and the whole experience but found I had to take this book in pieces. All the tangents in Jem's mind are meaningful and require digestion on the reader's part. It is not a book for the skimmer or the faint of heart.
July 31, 2016
Le elucubrazioni, le scoperte, il bisogno di comprendere come funzionino le cose, le regole che governano il mondo, il terrificante senso di onnipotenza, e conseguente responsabilità, di una bambina di 9 anni di particolare intelligenza e sensibilità.
Lettura non facile, ma luminosa. Mi ha fatto pensare, e non sempre ne sono stata felice per lei, a una bambina che conosco e a come gli adulti spesso non possano nemmeno sospettare la complessità che si cela nella mente di un bambino per cui tutto è sconosciuto e quindi deve per forza avere un significato che trascenda il particolare.
Il libro è di una ricchezza sorprendente, tra letteratura, ebraismo, astronomia, e momenti di vita familiare descritti con grande affetto e delicatezza. Mi rimarrà nel cuore a lungo, credo.
Lettura non facile, ma luminosa. Mi ha fatto pensare, e non sempre ne sono stata felice per lei, a una bambina che conosco e a come gli adulti spesso non possano nemmeno sospettare la complessità che si cela nella mente di un bambino per cui tutto è sconosciuto e quindi deve per forza avere un significato che trascenda il particolare.
Il libro è di una ricchezza sorprendente, tra letteratura, ebraismo, astronomia, e momenti di vita familiare descritti con grande affetto e delicatezza. Mi rimarrà nel cuore a lungo, credo.
August 24, 2007
This is a story of life and growing up from the perspective of a middle child in a family of five children. It's a bittersweet story of leaving the nest and change. I enjoyed it because it was rich and full of the day to day exchanges between brothers and sisters, something I have no experience with.
December 20, 2015
This is not an easy read, but it is beautiful, poignant and ultimately heartbreaking.
January 17, 2015
Did not finish. Too much wandering off plot. Exhausting to read & follow.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews