Book Review: Fifteen Dogs by Andre Alexis

An intriguing premise: how would the life of dogs change if they were suddenly given “human intelligence”? Two Greek gods bet against each other - one says the dogs would become unhappy, while the other says if even one dog is happy when it dies, he wins. And so, the gods gift 15 dogs with “human intelligence”. The book follows the lives of these 15 dogs.

The book is a commentary on the human condition. Alexis captures the spectrum of humankind pretty well. Some dogs simply accept the change and try to cope, while others vehemently resist it to the point of misoneism. One dog becomes manipulative, another becomes a poet and yet another grapples with human nature. Alliances are formed, betrayal and murders occur, religion takes hold, and exploitative hierarchies are established. Clearly, Alexis has a bleak view of humanity. And given the state of the world, one can hardly blame him. Amidst the overall pessimistic view, Alexis offers glimmers of positivity, but these are obscured by a tide of immorality.

But what is “human intelligence”? Alexis seems to be making the point that because the dogs became capable of thinking, questioning, and speaking like humans, they also acquired human flaws like intolerance, perfidy, and malevolence. I think there’s a deeper question here that could have been explored further - why does this “human intelligence” affect individuals differently? Does it bring out latent instincts? If so, how? Is it the understanding of the concepts of fair and unfair? Or is it simply circumstances?

Without the burden of “human intelligence”, it is implied, these dogs would live a normal life, instead of these strange experiences, which in the book, mostly brings out their “bad” side. It is generally scientifically accepted that anthropomorphizing animal behaviour is problematic and what we consider as bad behaviour has perfectly logical reasons in animal society. Female praying mantises eat their mate, already starting before mating has ended. Some animals, like polar bears, eat their own young in times of need. These actions, abhorrent in humans, are part of surviving for animals. But now, because these dogs have been granted “human intelligence”, we judge their actions by human standards - higher standards even? I often found myself thinking that a dog’s behaviour reminded me of a person I knew of, usually someone appalling. I question myself, do I subconsciously believe that humans have the moral highground? That the concept of right and wrong drilled into us is absolute?

The story is surprising and unexpected. The emotions of the 15 dogs were relatable (probably because I’m human) and their struggles for existence realistic. However, I did wonder about the depiction of the social system of dogs. I’ve never owned dogs, but the reasons for why dogs do various things and their behavior seemed unbelievable. The writing is easy to read and engaging. The author tries to be profound at times, with abstract poems about dogs’ lives and stories about dogs’ desires. But somehow I missed the point. Perhaps there were a couple of missed opportunities to explore certain aspects further. However, I’d still say it’s a decent book, with a very nice premise and a captivating story.