“You wouldn’t know me now, if you knew me then.” This is the opening line of Alice Kaltman’s new novel Dawg Towne, out today from word west. A simple opening. But Dawg Towne is a novel about transition, and as reviewer Mark Daniel Taylor says, it is “clear that this innocent opening statement has much more to say.” Dive into the review below.
Published by word west, Alice Kaltman’s Dawg Towne opens with the enigmatic line: “You wouldn’t know me now, if you knew me then.”
In the context of the opening passage, this is the eponymous town introducing itself to the reader. A comment on how much this settlement has changed since the arrival of its humans. After its vegetation has been harvested and its land built upon. Not that the town seems to mind too much. It is instead wrapped by curiosity for its human infestation – particularly about their relationship with dogs. But once the story starts and we get to know the inhabitants of this town called Towne, it becomes clear that this innocent opening statement has much more to say.
