The Hitch by Sara Levine

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick

A riotously sharp novel about self-righteousness, control, and the unexpected afterlife of a dog

Rose Cutler prides herself on her principles―veganism, feminism, eco-consciousness, and general moral superiority. She runs a yogurt business she quietly despises and lives alone, comfortably distanced from the mess of human relationships. But, when her brother and sister-in-law let her watch her six-year-old nephew Nathan, things go spectacularly wrong. 

After Rose’s dog kills a corgi at the park, Nathan begins to bark, overeat, and claim that the dead dog has possessed his body. Rose assumes this is trauma. Nathan insists it’s metaphysical fact. As Rose embarks on a misguided quest to free Nathan from his canine passenger, what begins as an attempt at childcare devolves into a surreal, anarchic spiral of suburban chaos. 

Brimming with unhinged charm and moral ambiguity, The Hitch is a biting satire of the stories we tell ourselves to stay sane―and the havoc we wreak when those stories fall apart.