Decoding Dot Grey
by Nicola Davison
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Pub Date 15 Apr 2022 | Archive Date 6 May 2022
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Description
Eighteen-year-old Dot Grey doesn’t hate people; she’s just not especially fond of their company. It’s 1997, and she’s just left home in favour of a dank, cold basement, where she lives with several small animals, including a chorus of crickets, a family of sowbugs (they came with the apartment), a hairless rat, and an injured crow.
Her job at the animal shelter is her refuge—so long as she can avoid her father’s phone calls. He’s trying to get Dot to visit her mother, but Dot knows there’s no point. No one ever understood her like her mum, who helped Dot channel her vibrating fingers into Morse code, their own private language. But her bright, artistic mother was terribly injured a year ago and Dot can’t reach her, even with her tapping fingers. Left with only a father who refuses to face the truth, she focuses on saving the little lives at the shelter.
When Joe starts working there, everyone thinks he has a crush on Dot. Dot thinks he’s just awkward and kind. He shows his good heart when they rescue an entire litter of puppies together, and Dot finds herself warming up to him. But Joe waits too long to tell her his deepest secret, and soon she is forced to deal with two losses. In the end, Dot’s weird way of looking at the world is the one thing that will, against the odds, help her connect with it.
With breakneck wordplay and the most motley of crews—human and otherwise—Decoding Dot Grey is a tender and delightful novel from the award-winning author of In the Wake.
Advance Praise
“Decoding Dot Grey, Nicola Davison’s deft portrayal of a young woman juggling the joys, sorrows, and messy complications of new adulthood, hits all the right notes. With a cast of charming, memorable characters, and a vividly realized menagerie of rescue animals, Decoding Dot Grey strikes a confident balance between humour and heartfelt sentiment, but it’s Dot herself, a true original—whip-smart, wryly observant, and deeply compassionate—who will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.”
–Tom Ryan, award-winning author of Keep This To Yourself and I Hope You’re Listening
“While Dot Grey is one of the most unique and compelling characters readers will come across, in her, author Nicola Davison has crafted a truly relatable protagonist.
An engaging and emotional story built around Dot's relationships with family, friends, and animals—Toby the crow will steal your heart!”
–Lisa Harrington, author of The Goodbye Girls and The Big Dig
Reviews/ Awards:
“Decoding Dot Grey, Nicola Davison’s beguiling novel (after the suspenseful and moving In the Wake), takes the reader into the chaotic world of an unusual young woman on the cusp of adulthood, facing tragedy and learning how to cope with profound loss. In her second novel, Nicola Davison has written a captivating story from an eccentric young woman’s perspective, someone who is emotionally guarded and riddled with uncertainty about her place in the world among humans but is openly and impulsively affectionate when it comes to her animal companions. Dot’s bracingly snarky voice is a treat: engaging and entertaining, and thoroughly convincing. Dot Grey’s bittersweet story of loss and acceptance of life’s harsh realities touches the reader on many levels, and in the end, teaches that the most reliable source of truth and solace is one’s own heart.”
–Ian Colford, The Miramichi Reader
https://miramichireader.ca/2022/03/decoding-dot-grey-by-nicola-davison/
“The book is effective in its depiction of the extra difficulties of a child who takes on adult responsibilities. In this case, Dot does actually have a loving father, but she has isolated herself and taken on hardships and burdens as a way to survive confusion and grief. It’s an interesting take on the theme, and Davison creates a lovely community around Dot, a community whose members are all looking out for her while trying to respect her decisions.”
–CMReviews.com
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781774710562 |
| PRICE | US$21.95 (USD) |
