Introduction

"Nelson's adventures on the fringe are fascinating... a touching page-turner..."—Publishers Weekly

"...debut novelist Lazar crafts a good one. He captures the interior and exterior lives of humans and dogs (and even wolves) with a sure hand."—Library Journal

"A canine version of Black Beauty"—Kirkus Reviews

They say you never forget your first love . . .

Born under a sparkling crescent moon, Nelson is a bright-eyed, inquisitive half beagle, half poodle. He lives with Katey and Don, newlyweds whose marriage is straining under the pressures of domesticity, but Katey's devotion to Nelson buoys the pup even as he worries his home may be falling apart.

But there are few things Nelson likes better than to follow a scent, and one day he follows his nose and gets lost . . . very lost. Though he searches frantically for Katey?and she for him?Nelson can?t seem to find his way home, and he soon realizes that if he's ever to see his great love again, he must make his way on his own and try to survive in the wild.

Over the course of eight years, Roam follows Nelson as he crosses the country searching for his family. For a time he rides shotgun with a truck driver named Thatcher, then he lives in the woods with a pack of wolves. A terrible accident takes his hind leg, but Nelson's strength and longing to find Katey keep him alive. Escaping death in a shelter, Nelson grows into an old dog with a cynical eye and a world-weary demeanor, but underneath it all, a fearless and courageous spirit. After all, he believes that one day he?ll make it home . . . and maybe, just maybe, he will. . . .

Much more than the story of one dog's incredible journey, this is a deeply moving story of survival and enduring love, which once again confirms the unbreakable bond between humans and their best friends. In the tradition of The Art of Racing in the Rain and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Roam is an unforgettable tale of love lost and found, the trials that test families, and an affirmation that no matter how far or how long you may travel, there's always a place you can call home.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

!e first thing Nelson smelled was grass. Rich, beautiful, mysterious

grass. It wafted in from the pastures outside Mrs. Anderson’s

farmhouse, where Nelson and his brothers and sisters

lay wriggling, close to their mother. His small nose wrinkled,

perplexed by this powerful new stimulus. When he was in his

mother’s womb, he had whiffed it in the distance as his nose’s

power expanded exponentially. But when the full power of grass

hit him out in the world, it was scary, intoxicating, and deeply

mysterious.

!e smell had many layers to it. As the years went by, Nelson

would learn to discern the meaning of those multiple deep

scents. !ey held information about the day—which creatures

had walked nearby and left their mark, how much dew there

had been that morning, and hints of the distant meadows where

that dew had come from. !ey held information about the rain

two days earlier and about the ants and other bugs that lived in

the grass. But also, deep from within the soil in which it grew,the grass held sometimes murky hints about summers past, and

winters from long ago, about the creatures that had lived and

died in the New Hampshire county where Nelson was born. It

held the history of all the roots and bones that had lain in that

rich soil for centuries.

Nelson was one of a litter of six mutts. In fact, he was not

meant to be a mutt. Mrs. Anderson had bred pedigree beagles

and poodles for many years. Her puppies sold for thousands of

dollars each and were shipped to locations all across America.

Nelson’s mother, Lola, a gentle apricot miniature poodle, had

given birth to several litters of puppies before. Nelson’s father,

King, a beagle much photographed as a perfect specimen at

the annual county fair, was not meant to gain access to Lola’s

compound when she was in heat two months earlier. He had

successfully impregnated Nougat, another beagle, several times,

and Mrs. Anderson adored him. But she had planned for Lola

to breed with her normal mate, Kennedy, a dark brown poodle

with a warm heart. She had no idea that King had been

bewitched by Lola’s rich bouquet as it wafted from her kennel

the previous spring. Noticing the beginnings of a small hole

under the wooden fence surrounding Lola’s kennel, King dug

furiously when Mrs Anderson was not around, and lovemaking

with Lola followed. Mrs. Anderson suspected nothing until

Lola’s pups came out one day looking unlike anything she had

seen. She had a moment of anger when she realized what King

had done. She also had a moment of regret when she realized

that the thousands of dollars she knew she would make from a

pedigree poodle litter was not to be. But when she held Nelson’s

older sister in the palm of her hand and felt the little dog’s heart

beating, her own heart swiftly melted, and she knew she would raise these puppies for the first two months of their lives with all

the love she normally gave to her pedigree pups.

Mrs. Anderson was accustomed to seeing two or three pups

in a poodle litter. Lola gave birth to six this time. Perhaps it was

King’s unrelenting lovemaking to Lola that had caused this anomaly.

!e fragrance of Lola in heat was so utterly compelling that

each time he thought their lovemaking was coming to an end

King somehow felt another burst of energy inside his beagle heart.

!e six puppies that emerged from her small frame surprised

Lola. She was sad when number four lay there, unmoving, after

he emerged. After she ate the small bag of afterbirth that had

protected him in the womb, she licked him again and again, trying

to bring him back to life. Mrs. Anderson watched, praying

for some movement, but after half an hour, and not a sign of life,

she gently pulled the small pup away from Lola and wrapped

him in a white towel. Later that night she would burn his remains

and scatter them in the pastures outside her farmhouse.

She would look up at the crescent moon and pray for the little

dog that had never known the world beyond his mother’s womb.

Lola felt an intangible sadness come over her as she saw her

pup disappear from sight. But she could not be sad for long.

!e convulsions in her stomach started again, and soon enough,

another beautiful puppy emerged into the world. Nelson was

largely light brown, or apricot, with splashes of white, particularly

over his face. A dark brown circle surrounded the one eye,

and a white circle surrounded the other. From an early age this

gave all the impression that he was “wide-eyed” and fascinated

by the world. But at the time of his birth, his eyes were firmly

closed, as they would be for the first week of his life.

His nose twitched excitedly as the smell of grass filled his world for the first time. He felt his mother lick him, and her scent, too,

filled his senses, rich and comforting. Mrs. Anderson entered the

room again, noticed the new puppy and patted him ever so gently

on his small head. And so, he whiffed a human being for the first

time, and that smell, although complex, was also warm and good.

!is was a lot to happen to such a young soul in the first

minutes of his life, and Nelson was suddenly struck by an overwhelming

hunger. His mother saw the quivers in his small body,

and those of her other pups. She pushed and pushed and her

final puppy, Nelson’s little sister, emerged into the world, wriggling

and sniffing. Gently, Mrs. Anderson placed each of the

puppies near Lola’s six nipples, and they wriggled inward toward

their first meal. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

• Is ROAM a book about dogs or a book about humans?
• ROAM is told from the point of view of a dog. What was it like to experience a world where smell, and not sight, is the dominant sense?
• Did you enjoy listening to the piano pieces that accompany the book, and how did the music connect with the story?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Author Alan Lazar's web site
»	Alan Lazar's music to accompany the book

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.

Member Reviews

Rate this book