Macdougall’s takes us through the main character’s journey of building career in the Dog Walking world, spanning a good 7 years. It is a clever device to explore serious life questions in a lighthearted way.
Kate is a very likeable character, as well as boyfriend and future husband Finlay. I was fully invested in their journey, the more dogs she walked, the better we get to know Kate herself and the dog families she interacts with. And the savvy she grew in her business, the more tenacious and rife her competition became, not to mention the customers, those become more discerning, shrewd and demanding.
It is a genius set up. It gives the writer plenty of material to create a stinging satire on London social politics. Whatever happened to the normal families? The 2.4ers, who ate beans on toast in places like Hammersmith and Tooting? In Kate’s eyes they seem to have all disappeared. London was shifting. Every dog in London’s N. 1 Dog Walking Agency exposes us, warts and all, to their families most inner secrets and fears. Here, we meet the pocket loft-living, the corporate ladder-climbing couples, dysfunctional same-sex couples, extravagant and self-centred, self-entitled, young upcoming professionals, lonely busy folk and their extremely lovable dogs in London, from Greenwich to Vauxhall.
This is a contemporary, fast paced city-living adventure, with plenty of dog walking induced introspection. It's hugely entertaining, and the settings are very recognisable and nicely depicted.
Kate Macdougall London's N.1 Dog Walking Agency is funny, smartly observed, sometimes exaggerated, with a very positive, heart-warming message.