‘Rescue me’ by Sarra Manning is a joy of a book from start to finish. It is the story of Margot, Will and Blossom. Margot and Will meet at a dog rescue centre in North London. They both want to rescue the same Staffordshire Bull Terrier. As a way of resolving this, they decide to ‘co-pawrent’. (I know, I struggled with that too!).
Margot’s parents had both died by the time she was 18. She is a clothes designer, lives in a flat in highgate, is warm, loveable, a little chaotic and has a huge collections of friends. Will has just returned to London after leaving his high powered, lucrative job and highly organised life in New York. He has come back to his large complicated family, has no friends and is working in the family flower business.
As co-pawrents, it seems they have little in common. Their co-owned dog ‘Blossom’ is badly behaved, scared of everything, chases squirrels, and is it seems untrainable. In Blossom, and eventually in each other they discover the answer to their loneliness. This is a light hearted comedy, with romance and a badly behaved, erratic dog at its core. This does not mean it is without depth. Themes of bereavement, loss and abuse are all explored in a gentle way.
Place is an important part of the book, and for me the star of this story is London. Much of the story takes place in and around Hampstead Heath, Highgate and Muswell Hill. This is the London of which Richard Curtis films are made (and I say that as a big Richard Curtis Film fan!) Although this is the London of romantic comedies, it is also the London which is made up of small pockets of community and local businesses, walks on Hampstead Heath, and coffee shops and cosy pubs.
‘Rescue Me’ was released in January 2021 at at time when we all needed a bit of escapism. However, I think it would be a fun book to read at any time. It is of course perfect for dog owners and dog lovers., but also for someone like me, who likes dogs very much, but does not want to own one any time soon!
Sarra Manning has significant writing pedigree. She has published 7 novels, been editor and contributor to some high profile magazines and is currently the literary editor of Red magazine. She also rescued her own broken 3 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. This book is clearly a retelling of her own experiences with a rescue dog. She describes this experience as initially an absolute nightmare, but seeing her own ‘Blossom’ transformed into a smart, hilarious dog “the dog she was always meant to be” was one of the most meaningful experiences of her life.
“Rescue Me, more than anything is a love letter. Not just to Betsy, but to all those dogs who have been abandoned, neglected and abused but never lose their ability to forgive and love again” – Sarra Manning
You can purchase Rescue Me and support local bookshops here.
