Andre Alexis unleashes his wise new novel Fifteen Dogs
Canadian author André Alexis on his latest novel: a heartbreaking and hilarious meditation on the human condition.
One night at the Wheat Sheaf Tavern in downtown Toronto, Hermes and Apollo get into an argument about whether animals would be as unhappy as humans if they had human intelligence. The gods make a bet. To settle it, they head to a nearby pet clinic and endow 15 dogs with the ability to think as humans do.
That's the premise of Fifteen Dogs, the latest novel by André Alexis. Today the Canadian author joins guest host Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss his hilarious and heartbreaking meditation on love, power and the nature of consciousness. Alexis also explains why writing in the tradition of animal fables was such an emotional and intellectual challenge, and whether he feels human consciousness is a blessing or a curse.