Good Dogs Don't Make It to the South Pole

June 15, 2020
A dog and a widow navigate their new lives as a duo in this fiction debut. Tassen is a one-man dog, and unfortunately, his man, The Major, has just taken his last breath. Now Tassen and widowed Mrs. Thorkildsen find themselves alone and faced with having to reconfigure their lives without him. This leads to journeys to the library and an interest in the 1911 race to the South Pole between Norway's Roald Amundsen and Britain's Capt. Robert F. Scott. Tassen is fascinated by Amundsen's sled dogs, and Mrs. Thorkildsen tells him stories of how each dog met its fate, from being stuffed to eaten. Tassen is just getting used to his new normal when Mrs. Thorkildsen's son and his family show up, seemingly concerned about how she's getting on. Mrs. Thorkildsen assures them she's fine, but is she? Tassen is a unique narrator, but the tone is all over the place, matter of fact and blunt and whimsical. It's hard to get a feel for Tassen and, by extension, any other character. This is Thyvold's first book to be published in the U.S. as well as his first work of fiction. His previous nonfiction book on Amundsen explains the intense amount of detail on the South Pole journey, which is unfortunately to the detriment of the main plot. The family thinks Mrs. Thorkildsen is losing her mind because she talks to and understands Tassen, but at one point a stranger does, too, and then it's never mentioned again. The book is unsure of its own internal mythos, which throws everything else off. An odd tone, uneven narrator, and lopsided plot hold this puppy back.

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Starred review from July 1, 2020

DEBUT Norwegian journalist and TV host Thyvold has penned a winner with his first fiction effort, a touching, sometimes funny story whose narrator, a dog named Tassen, relates his life with the widowed Mrs. Thorkildsen. After her husband dies, Mrs. Thorkildsen contentedly spends her days in her roomy mansion watching Dr. Pill, imbibing "dragon water," and reading to Tassen. On trips to the library (followed by a patty melt and a beer at the Tavern), Mrs. Thorkildsen takes out stacks of books for their enjoyment. When he asks for stories with dogs, Mrs. Thorkildsen tells him about Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, his pack of huskies, and his famous 1911 expedition to the South Pole. As they share heart-pounding stories from Amundsen's biography, they become loyal companions, finding common bond against Mrs. Thorkildsen's greedy son and his wife and little boy, who want to move Mrs. Thorkildsen to a nursing home and take over her spacious home. She stands firm until she falls ill, and Tassen's secure world begins to fall apart. VERDICT Tassen is a believable, matter-of-fact narrator, bringing us into his world with Mrs. Thorkildsen, her dragon water, her love of books, and Roald Amundsen's all-important dogs. Thyvold's moving, inspirational tale is a real treat. [See Prepub Alert, 2/12/20.]--Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2020

When Major Thorkildsen dies, his devoted dog, Tassen, is lost to grief until he and Mrs. Thorkildsen start trekking to the library to study Roald Amundsen and the tough sled dogs that accompanied him to the South Pole. Those studies come surprisingly in handy when Mrs. Thorkildsen's son and daughter-in-law arrive to claim the house as theirs. No wonder this is billed as a blend of A Man Called Ove and The Art of Racing in the Rain; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.