Review: The Wonder of Lost Causes

The Wonder of Lost Causes by Nick Trout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet, heartwarming story but a little too cheesy for me by the end. Still solid, though.

The story revolves around Jasper, a young boy with Cystic Fibrosis, and his mother, Kate. Kate's a vet and as a consequence Jasper meets Whistler - a beat up senior mutt that he forms an instant connection with.

Personally?
Dogs -> yes
Kids -> no

I particularly dislike when a story (or part of) is narrated by a child, who misunderstands things and generally talks like a child. I get it, I get why people like it, but it's really not for me.

That said, Jasper was sweet enough. He's a bit of a unicorn, here- he's the kid who has a rotten life but is always beaming sunshine and rainbows. Nothing can get this kid down, and he's the one that's going to teach us (and his severely over-protective mother) how to appreciate the little things in life etc etc.

I'm not against the message, and I think it was told well through this specific trio of characters, but I feel it was a little long as by the end I was quite tired of hearing this child drop all these big quotes about life. He's twelve, for crying out loud. It really grated on me by the end. For most of the book, though, it's very wholesome. Jasper and Whistler are very sweet together and I think dog-lovers will really fall for the pair.

Kate has no character development until all of a sudden she does and that's equally unbearable. I needed subtle progression instead of 0-1oo. Harried mothers may see themselves in her a little and grant her a little more patience, but for me she was too much.

It was a great story, but a little too long to stay believable for me. I enjoyed reading it, but it didn't pull me in quite as much as I hoped for.

Still, a great read for the dog lovers.

With thanks to A&U for an ARC

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