The story is told alternately by a boy named Sven and a girl named Parker. Both have recently had to grow up fast: perfectly healthy Sven suddenly developed epilepsy, and Parker’s family went through an armed robbery a few weeks ago. In principle, that’s more than enough for any teenager to fall into a funk, spiral into endless reflection, and reevaluate their values, but then something else comes to light...
Just six months ago, Parker was the happy owner of the best dog in the world, but because of her younger brother's allergy, the family had to part with their pet. The wonderful golden retriever, Alaska, was given to a guide dog school, so Parker lost the ability to even see the dog occasionally, because in order to fully accept a new owner, the animal must completely and irrevocably move on from the previous one. Alaska is training to become a service dog for someone with epilepsy, and the story of how dogs can help sick people is a very interesting part of the narrative. They can not only call for help, but—it’s incredible, but it’s true!—some of them are capable of predicting a seizure, allowing the person to prepare: for example, by staying home, or at least simply sitting or lying down in a safe place.
After completing training, Alaska goes to Sven, and fate turns out to have made Sven and Parker classmates. Parker knows she shouldn't try to see Alaska, but she does it anyway. And not just because of her love for the dog, but also because she feels that Sven doesn't appreciate his new friend: he calls her a mutt, neglects her, and things like that. The life situation becomes even more complicated and tangled because the teenagers begin to experience a love-hate relationship with each other.
A wonderful book for readers 12 and up about the fact that bad things happen and life can change overnight, and about how everyone has their own pain and their own search. A profound book that raises many non-trivial questions, it is very easy to read, the plot is captivating, and the translation is good.
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