Point of View

"he Dog Stars" by Peter Heller is a first person recollection and narration by the main character 'Hig' of a time which we can only imagine. In Hig's world, a flu epidemic takes most of the planet, and a blood disease that makes AIDS look tame followed shortly behind taking what few survivors there were from the flu. The small group that survive both are faced with a very different world. When even Hig's wife succumbs to illness, he leaves their home, where he'd known so much joy, and goes to live at the airport where he keeps his Cessna. His only companions are Jasper, his faithful part blue heeler, and Bruce Bagley, another sole survivor. Together they keep the perimeter of their little oasis clear, and watch the passage of time. The narrative is cohesive and though Hig tends to ramble sometimes, his story telling...