Media Center: ‘Dog Gone’ by Pauls Toutonghi

Media Center: ‘Dog Gone’ by Pauls Toutonghi

WHO: Pauls Toutonghi

WHAT: DOG GONE:
A Lost Pet’s Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home

WHEN: Published by Knopf June 15, 2016

WHERE: The story is set mostly in Virginia.

WHY: “A poignant reminder of the important role dogs often fill as they help their human companions traverse difficult life passages.
“Fielding Marshall is in college when he adopts Gonker, a golden retriever. Marshall is figuring out what he wants in life, has a troubled romantic interest, and is struggling with parental pressure to sort it all out. Gonker offers unconditional acceptance and is a lifeline for Marshall. When Gonker contracts Addison’s disease, which requires vital monthly medication, his prognosis looks good until he vanishes during a hike with Marshall along the Appalachian Trail hundreds of miles from home.
“Despite strained relationships, the family comes together in a powerful way to support one another and save this endearing dog. The mother rallies an entire region to help find the animal, the father searches with his son, and a community responds.” –Gloria Drake, LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Toutonghi reveals how deeply the dog’s disappearance affected his entire human family, and, in a larger sense, how a family works.”
—Nancy Bent, BOOKLIST

“Pauls Toutonghi has captured the joy of being a dog and the joy that dogs bring to our lives. In this moving, suspenseful, elegantly written story, he explores how a dog can be a loom that weaves together many souls into a beautiful fabric.”
—Dean Koontz

“You can’t write about dogs without writing about people. They chose long ago to be our good company in the adventure of being alive, and ever since they’ve served as our mirrors, our teachers, and the most stubbornly loyal of friends. Pauls Toutonghi understands the richness of these bonds. In Dog Gone, this engaging storyteller lights up the ways the love between human and dog brings both species to hilarity, gratitude, deep sorrow and a tenderness so real you can’t help but touch it.” —Mark Doty

“If you have ever loved and lost a pet, rest assured, you have found the book to make you whole again.” —Julie Klam

“A hugely entertaining book. It’s got humor, pathos, gorgeous prose, and its details are arranged with the precision of a jeweler.” —Tom Bissell

“This is one of those rare books that reads you more than you read it. It’s a family story, a pet story, a spiritual journey. It’s almost a novel, except that it’s ‘true.’ It’s kind-hearted, crazy, and moving. I found myself laughing. I found myself with tears to wipe away. Mostly, I gasped: the prose is so beautiful, with word-clusters that lodge in the memory.” —Jay Parini

“A page turning adventure story…a meditation on how animals can bring out the best in humans.” —Karen Karbo

Jacket photo

Media Resources:
About the book and author | Read an excerpt | Author tour | Download the jacket | Download the author photo

Knopf. 6 illustrations and 1 map. 252 pages. $25
ISBN 978-1-101-94701-2


Publicist for this title:
Jordan Rodman | 212-782-9714 | jrodman@penguinrandomhouse.com