Theresa Shea

“Shea’s page-turning prose and loveable, curious, and kind protagonist keep the heart at the center of this tragically gorgeous novel.” — Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

For fans of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These and Karen Joy Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves comes this unforgettable and fiercely compassionate novel

Immediately upon his release from a 25-year prison sentence, former veterinarian Trevor Westmore gets his first surprise as a free man: A guard gives him a German shepherd puppy. While Trevor anxiously tries to build a new life, his dog, Libby, provides the routine and responsibility he needs to navigate his re-entry into society.

All Trevor wants is to earn a living, to stay out of trouble, and to be left alone — until he meets and falls for local veterinarian Laura Fenway. But they both have their secrets. When she learns the truth of Trevor’s past will she consider a future together? And when he discovers the lengths she’ll go to rescue dogs, will he jeopardize his long-awaited freedom?

Weaving together major environmental and political issues of the mid- to late-20th century that remain urgent today, Dog Days of Planet Earth asks what we’re willing to risk for our personal convictions in a world where powerful and unjust forces often oppose them.