Line #18 Literature/TheDogsOfBabel


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dogsofbabel_1667.jpg]]
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3	->''"The conclusion I have reached is that, above all, dogs are witnesses. They are allowed access to our most private moments. They are there when we think we are alone. Think of what they could tell us. They sit on the laps of presidents. They see acts of love and violence, quarrels and feuds, and the secret play of children. If they could tell us everything they have seen, all of the gaps of our lives would stitch themselves together."''
4	-->--'''Paul Iverson'''
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6	''The Dogs of Babel'' (also known as ''Lorelei's Secret'' in the UK) is the debut novel of Carolyn Parkhurst. It was one of The New York Times Notable Fiction & Poetry books of 2003. The novel became a best-seller.
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8	Linguist Paul Iverson's entire life changes when a policeman calls to tell him his wife, Lexy Ransome, has died falling from an apple tree. The only witness to the event is their dog, Lorelei. Paul returns home to find strange "clues" left by Lexy: a rearranged bookcase, a mysterious phone call, and other hints that Lexy's death is not what it initially seemed.
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10	Grief-stricken and determined to solve the mystery, Paul embarks on the strange mission to teach Lorelei how to communicate with him so she can retell the tragic events of Lexy's death. Along the way, Paul recounts his relationship with Lexy and fights to untangle himself from a dangerous web of former "scientists" who shared his goal to teach dogs to communicate with humankind.
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12	A movie adaptation has been rumored for the near future. Creator/SteveCarell is slated to play the part of Paul.
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14	----
15	!!Tropes present in ''The Dogs of Babel'' include:
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17	* AnimalTesting: Of the illegal and not even morally ambiguous variety from The Cerberus Society. What they do to dogs in an effort to make them "speak" is straight up animal cruelty in the name of science.
18	* ArcWords: Lines from Literature/TamLin are referenced frequently. "You are my finest knight" being the most significant.
19	* [[spoiler: BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: They really didn't.]]
20	* BigFriendlyDog: Lorelei, the Rhodesian Ridgeback
21	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Paul discovers Lexy's death was a suicide. Lorelei lost her larynx courtesy of the [[MadScientist Cerberus Society]] but is back safe with Paul. The novel ends with Paul slowly growing past his grief and going out with the nice woman he met at the animal shelter.]]
22	* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: [[spoiler: What Lexy's actions could be construed as.]]
23	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Lexy battled with depression frequently in her youth. The after-effects still lingered into her adulthood.
24	* [[spoiler: DrivenToSuicide: In the end it's revealed Lexy committed suicide because of her fear she'd ruin the life of Paul's and her unborn child.]]
25	* DrivingQuestion: Was Lexy's death really an accident?
26	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: A central conflict of the novel. Paul wants to make Lexy happy but doesn't know how. Lexy wants Paul to be happy at the expense of her mental stability. [[spoiler: Lexy's suicide can also be interpreted as this.]]
27	* TheLostLenore: Lexy's death spurs forward the entire plot of the novel.
28	* MadScientist: The members of the Cerberus Society. Special mention goes to Wendell Hollis.
29	* MalevolentMutilation: [[spoiler: What happens to poor Lorelei]].
30	* ManicPixieDreamgirl: Something of a deconstruction, as Lexy's eccentricity and the delight she brings to Paul doesn't overshadow her own personal problems. It could be said that Paul's inability to fully understand her [[spoiler: contributed to her suicide]].
31	* TheMasochismTango: Paul and Lexy's relationship
32	* MeetCute: Paul and Lexy. Square eggs.
33	* MoodSwinger: Lexy
34	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Wendell Hollis, also known as [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "the Dog Butcher of Brooklyn."]]
35	* [[spoiler: MySecretPregnancy: Lexy was pregnant at the time of her death. Paul didn't find out until after the fact.]]
36	* {{Omniglot}}: Paul, at least when it comes to breaking down word roots and deciphering their meanings. Justifiably so.
37	* PublicSecretMessage: The rearranged bookshelf
38	* RoomFullOfCrazy: The Cerberus Society. Their shared delusion is especially evident when Dog J "speaks" at their meeting.
39	* SignificantAnagram: Paul makes anagrams of names throughout the book and points out how fitting they can be.
40	* StepfordSmiler: Lexy

Context Literature / TheDogsOfBabel