Julie
Barton. Think Piece Publishing, $14.95 paperback (234p) ISBN: 9780986360787
Julie Barton’s debut memoir, Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself, testifies to the
connection between a woman and her canine best friend. Through memories that contextualize her past,
and astrological imagery that conveys the present, Barton tells of her struggle
to overcome mental illness. She describes
in detail her innate bond with Golden Retriever puppy, Bunker, illustrating the
healing power of human relationships with animals.
Barton intertwines memories and present narration
throughout her work, swerving between her 1996 depression and earlier
flashbacks. These juxtapositions give
readers insight into the deep-rooted origins of her mental illness. With scenes of physical and mental abuse from
her older brother, Clay, Barton paints a vivid scene. During a particularly destructive bout of abuse,
Clay breaks into ten-year-old Barton’s locked bedroom, “…lunged at [her] on
[her] white wicker bed…punching [her] arms and pinning [her] down.” Clay then carves into her wooden door hurtful
comments: “Loser”, “Everyone Hates You.”
Barton recalls, “What Clay thought about me, I thought about
myself.” This self-hatred, “lodged in
past experiences” returns in the present, as Barton struggles with depression.
Barton expresses a supernatural harmony between
herself and Bunker. Before their
predestined paths converge at a breeder’s rural farmhouse, Barton uses
astrological imagery to link her depressive inability to get up off her kitchen
floor to her Golden Retriever puppy’s young life: “the second day of Bunker’s
life and my second day on the floor, there was a partial solar eclipse…No light
for me. No light for Bunker.” The celestial darkness both she and Bunker
experience begins to fade with a waxing moon the night of their meeting. Some readers may find these references to the
supernatural repetitive. However, Bunker’s illuminating effect on
Barton’s world, mirroring the moon’s increasing brightness, shows the power of
their relationship. This uplifting, yet
at times excessive, description of Bunker’s impact on her life provides readers
with insight into her motivation for documenting this period. For example, she writes: “He was feeding me,
giving me essential emotional and spiritual nutrients, so I could continue on
in my own life”, revealing Bunker’s importance in her recovery.
Barton puts a new spin on dog as “man’s best
friend.” Bunker becomes a woman’s best medicine,
and his need for daily care and exercise pulls her from the depths of mental
illness.After depression returns her to her parents home, and leaves her
struggling to wake every day, Barton finds solace in a playful puppy. Bunker brings peace as Barton recalls: “The
blackness fizzled when I touched this dog, and in its place appeared a quiet
calm.” She regains a sense of purpose as
Bunker forces her to get out of bed each morning, requiring her to care for him
and thus herself as well. A heartwarming
book, Dog Medicine serves as a
tribute to the healing power of animals.
The memoir will appeal to readers who have battled depression and help
others understand the struggles of mental illness. (November 2015)
Purchase Dog
Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself HERE.
Reviewer
bio: Alexandra Makover is a junior at Penn State University. An English
major and business minor, Alexandra became interested in book reviewing through
her Schreyer Honors College seminar course. She lives in Dix Hills, New
York.
