Books › We think the world of you
We think the world of you
211 pages
An acerbic, darkly enchanting exploration of class, queer desire, and the unexpected salvation found in the love of a dog.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like stepping into a sharply observed, darkly tinged fairy tale grounded in English social realism. The narrative moves at a steady, deliberate pace, anchored by a narrator who is unapologetically acerbic, angry, and fiercely intelligent. As he navigates the frustrating barriers of class divides and unrequited queer desire, the mood shifts from bitter claustrophobia to something strangely tender and transcendent. The prose is acute and observant, capturing the messy, possessive struggles between people before pivoting to the pure, uncomplicated devotion of a neglected animal. It is a perfect read for those who love character studies of difficult, self-righteous protagonists who ultimately find their inner worlds guarded and transformed by the love of a dog.
- Mood
- melancholic
- tense
- strangely tender
- Tone
- acerbic
- intelligent
- angry
- darkly observant
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- unrequited love · class friction · human-animal bonds · jealousy and possession · queer desire
- The writing
- Sharp, intelligent, and grounded in acute social realism while maintaining the strange, dark undercurrents of an adult fairy tale.
- The arc
- Moves from bitter, frustrated yearning for an unavailable man to an unexpected, profound emotional salvation found through the care of a neglected animal.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate acerbic, character-driven fiction exploring complex queer desire, class friction, and the profound bonds between humans and dogs.
Content notes
- incarceration
- animal neglect
- toxic relationships
About the book
We Think the World of You combines acute social realism and dark fantasy, and was described by author J.R. Ackerley as “a fairy tale for adults.”
Frank, the narrator, is a middle-aged civil servant, intelligent, acerbic, self-righteous, angry. He is in love with Johnny, a young, married, working-class man with a sweetly easygoing nature. When Johnny is sent to prison for committing a petty theft, Frank gets caught up in a struggle with Johnny’s wife and parents for access to him. Their struggle finds a strange focus in Johnny’s dog—a beautiful but neglected German shepherd named Evie. And it is she, in the end, who becomes the improbable and undeniable guardian of Frank’s inner world
Description from Open Library.
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