Remembering Ollie, by Marian Lizzi

When UK-based novelist Stephen Foster first published his funny and decidedly unsentimental memoir  Walking Ollie (published in the US by Perigee in July 2008), he never imagined that just a year later he would be saying goodbye to Ollie, the quirky, neurotic shelter dog who had become his best friend. But last month, after the UK publication of the book's sequel, Along Came Dylan (to be published by Perigee next June, under the title Fetching Dylan), that's just what he had to do. It was hard to believe: The skittish pup who feared shopping bags, house flies, and the apron hanging from the back of the kitchen door -- and whose story had introduced Stephen to the British bestseller lists -- was suddenly gone.

The London Times recently ran an essay by Stephen describing the difficult goodbye. Dog lovers along with anyone who has had to cope with the loss of a dear friend will appreciate this sweet, sad story well told. Ollie may be gone, but to readers on both sides of the Atlantic who knew him, he won't be forgotten.

In honor of Ollie, Perigee will include a new afterword to Fetching Dylan, noting the passing of the dysfunctional yet irresistible creature who domesticated a first-time dog owner and changed his life forever. Check the Penguin USA web site in April 2009 for more information about Fetching Dylan and Stephen Foster.

Posted by: Marian Lizzi, Editor-in-Chief, Perigee Books

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