Synopses & Reviews
The story of a family in crisis and the loyal dog that holds them together, from the witty, imaginative author of
The Dead Fathers Club.The HuntersAdam, Kate, and their children Hal and Charlotteare a typical family, with typical concerns: work, money, love, the trials of adolescence. What sets them apart is Prince, their black labrador.
Prince is an earnest and determined young dog. He strives to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact: Duty Over All. Other dogs, led by the springer spaniels, have revolted, but Prince takes his responsibilities seriously. As things in the Hunter family begin to go awry--marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide--he uses every canine resource to keep the clan together.
In the end, Prince must choose: the family or the Pact? His decision may cost him everything.
Wry, perceptive, and heartbreaking, The Labrador Pact is a cunning and original take on domestic life, with an improbably poignant narrator.
Review
[Narrator] Jone's brilliant performance will have listeners howling with glee and begging for more.
Publishers Weekly
Review
A comic tour de force.
The Times of London
Review
Highly engrossing, hilarious yet heart-breaking. - Ink Magazine Ink Magazine
Review
Clearly destined to become a cult hit. I only wish my dog had thought of it first.
Daily Mail The Times (London)
Synopsis
The Hunters are your typical family, with typical concerns—work, money, love, the trials of adolescence—with one difference: they are protected by a highly atypical dog, their black Labrador, Prince. Prince views it as his sacred duty to protect his family and guard its integrity. But what is he to do when the family's worst enemies are themselves?
Wry, perceptive and heartbreaking, The Labrador Pact is a cunning and original take on domestic life in all its joy and disillusionment. Matt Haig has created an improbably poignant narrator in Prince, offering a truly unique perspective on the foibles of family relationships. As Prince uses his heart and soul (and wags and barks) to keep the Hunter clan together, he finds himself confounded by the odd behavior of the humans he loves. To save his family, Prince must betray the ancient Pact of the Labradors—a decision that may cost him everything.
About the Author
MATT HAIG lives in Leeds, England. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Face.Originally from Wiltshire, England, award-winning narrator SIMON JONES is perhaps most often recognized as 'Arthur Dent' in
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (both radio and TV versions) or as 'Bridey' in the classic TV mini-series
"Brideshead Revisited".
He has been seen in such films as Privates in Parade, Brazil, 12 Monkeys, Miracle on 34th Street (remake), and Devil's Own; most recently on TV as a judge in OZ and as 'C.S. Lewis' in PBS's A Question of God; and regularly on stage, including 10 major roles on Broadway. In 2004 his audio book narrations won him AudioFile magazine's "Golden Voice" award, and Publisher's Weekly "Narrator of the Year."