Book Review: The Call

A rural veterinarian logs his days around the calls he receives:

CALL: The alpaca that spit in my eye is dead.
ACTION: Drove to farm. The owner wanted to know what had done it.... He died from fear, I said to the owner. Your alpaca died when the thunder clapped.
RESULT: The man looked around his barn. He spoke in a whisper.... He will go to alpaca heaven, the owner said, and I tried to picture what alpaca heaven would look like but all I pictured was the same barn I was standing in and the owner petting the dead alpaca's side.
THOUGHTS ON DRIVE HOME: If I could time-travel in only one direction, would I go forward or backward?

These observations form Yannick Murphy's unusual new novel, The Call. The veterinarian fleshes out the story of his life through this formula, adding observations about his town, his family, and the stresses he must cope with, including the hunting accident that leaves his son in a coma. The pages of his log become filled not only with simple medical records, but also with his wishes, fears, and the thoughts he consoles himself with, imagining what the house or the family rabbit might say to him, and wondering if the strange lights he sees in the sky belong to a spaceship. An unusual premise and format lead to a surprisingly touching conclusion. - Michelle (Sunset)