Unexpected change arrives in the form of his brother’s two dogs, Dante and Sissy. Jonathan Trefoil rents a tiny apartment in Manhattan, works a job he loathes, and is engaged to a woman who’s completely wrong for him. Rosoff’s novel is for anyone wondering what to be when they grow up, and how on earth to get there.Ĭlick here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend. Could a border collie and a cocker spaniel hold the key to life, the universe, and everything? Their sly maneuvering on daily walks and visits to the alluring vet suggest that human emotional intelligence may not be top dog after all.Ī funny, wise romantic comedy set in Manhattan, Jonathan Unleashed is a story of tangled relationships, friendships, and dogs. When his brother asks him to look after his dogs, Jonathan's world view begins to shift. He doesn’t remember life being this confusing, back before everyone expected him to act like a grown-up. His girlfriend wants to marry someone just like him-only richer and with a different sense of humor. Jonathan Trefoil’s boss is unhinged, his relationship baffling, and his apartment just the wrong side of legal. It’s a disappointing conclusion to a frequently thoughtful comedy by an author whose accolades include the Printz Award and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.National Book Award finalist and bestselling author Meg Rosoff's charming, hilarious new novel about a young New Yorker’s search for happiness and the two dogs who help him find it-the perfect summer read The plot’s resolution depends on heavy-handed coincidences and canine antics. As he nurses crushes on other people and ignores repeated warnings not to marry Julie, Jonathan becomes an ineffectual, unconvincing protagonist.

But after their engagement, incited by the offer of a free, live-streamed wedding to help promote Bridal-360, it’s clear to everyone-including Jonathan’s best friend, parents, coworkers, and subconscious-that the wedding is a mistake. Rosoff casts them as a plausible odd couple: he’s a nervy art school grad, and she’s a sensible salesperson. The book veers into wicked satire when Jonathan starts at Comrade, an advertising agency where everyone is “young, attractive, fashionable, underpaid, exploited, and full of existential rage.” Jonathan’s longtime girlfriend, Julie Cormorant, meanwhile, works at Bridal-360 magazine. When Jonathan’s brother asks him to look after his border collie, Dante, and spaniel, Sissy, the pets give Jonathan purpose, and Rosoff ( How I Live Now) is memorably funny on the foibles of dog owners.

Rosoff’s buoyant, witty, but less than satisfying seventh novel follows Jonathan Trefoil’s fumbling attempts at adulthood in Manhattan.

Jonathan unleashed by meg rosoff