Paul Iverson's wife dies under mysterious circumstances. The police rule it an accident. Paul isn't convinced. He begins to find 'clues' around the house which lead him to believe Lexy may have taken her own life. The only witness to the day's events is Lorelei, the family dog. Paul, a linguist, embarks on a series of experiments designed to teach Lorelei to communicate what she knows. As Paul recalls the past, layers of Lexy's personality are revealed. His obsession leads him and Lorelei into unexpected and and even dangerous situations.

That's the plot line. Now, let me tell you how this book feels. Paul learns through the clues left behind and by recounting his and Lexy's history for the reader, how very much we miss walking through life. Like the message written in glossy paint, readable only at certain hours of the morning as the sun washes through the kitchen window, some communications are painfully subtle. Paul may never have known the true person Lexy was. Perhaps he only glimpsed her. His dependence on Lorelei is heartbreaking. At the conclusion of the story, we finally understand Lorelei's pain. She and Paul are bound by this shared guilt of missing what Lexy was truly about.

Those of us how love and share our lives with animals tend to think we have a special communication with them. We have signals and words of which we have a shared understanding. For animal lovers, this book will be a difficult read at times, but it is worth the struggle.