Today’s review is one for the dog lovers.
“Etna” by Paul Yoon tells the story of a bomb-sniffing military dog who survives a years-long conflict and then embarks on an odyssey in hopes of returning home. Our title character, the dog Etna, is also the narrator of this slim but powerful novel, and that unusual point of view offers an original and poignant look at the devastation of war.
The novel begins in an unnamed country, where a woman named Soojin appears on a farm where Etna lives with his mother and siblings. Soojin chooses the puppy and gives him his name, and he discovers during his ride away from the farm that the woman has the unique ability to communicate with dogs and read their thoughts.
Before long, Etna and a canine colleague, Fuji, are training with soldiers to run, fight, and sniff out explosive devices. The dogs also learn to kill, and Etna witnesses countless deaths of people and animals, as the dog breathlessly narrates.
“We walked and ran and trekked and rode in trucks and jumped through open and broken windows,” he says, “and we climbed and ascended and we lived almost every day with explosions and gunfire and houses falling and buildings falling and animals running and everywhere fire and bodies on fire and the earth breaking and breaking deeper.”
He comes out scarred and battle-worn but then decides to navigate the desolate landscape on his own.
In many ways, it’s a dark and depressing story. But through his lovely prose, Yoon manages to infuse the novel with a persistent hope. During Etna’s journey, the dog finds humans who love and care for him and who restore our faith in humanity. And we learn what it means to keep going, and keep trusting, despite the bleakest of circumstances.
