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Love and friendship in turbulent times

The Year of the Dog

Stefan Brijs

An accidental encounter at the cinema marks the start of a close friendship between Paul and Ava, who are both in their late twenties. Their love of films is not the only thing they have in common: they have both reached a low point in their love life. Paul is upset by his childhood sweetheart’s adultery and their subsequent unexpected divorce, while Ava, in her constant craving for passion, has left her boyfriend for the umpteenth and now final time.

‘The Year of the Dog' is not a tough and tragic story but one with a subtle and witty undertone. ****
NRC

They help each other in their desperate search for what love should be. Ava is guided by her emotions and makes impulsive decisions. Paul goes down the road of personal ads but is critical of everybody he meets. The friendship between Paul and Ava grows ever more oppressive. And then a third person enters the story. Does Paul’s friendship with Ava get in the way of his chance of love? And does Ava’s love get in the way of their friendship?

Throughout his oeuvre Stefan Brijs shows man in all his vulnerability. ‘The Year of the Dog’ is a scintillating, often harrowing novel about love, lust, betrayal and the (im)possibility of close friendship between a man and a woman. It is Brijs’ very own version of ‘When Harry met Sally’.

An ancient theme portrayed without spectacle but with great poignancy. His purest, most authentic novel.
Trouw
222 beautifully worded pages - Brijs pushes his boundaries as a writer.
Het Belang van Limburg