What: Winston Churchill suffered from severe bouts of depression, which he called his "black dog." In Mr. Chartwell, author Rebecca Hunt presents the figurative black dog as an actual black dog (he prefers to be called "Black Pat") who divides his time between Churchill and Esther Hammerhans, a young woman with whom he's lodging. Many reviews of this debut novel praise Hunt for the originality of her concept and her perceptive handling of depression. I was also impressed with Hunt's deft and delicate presentation of the small cues that make social interaction possible [see quote].
Comparable to: Hunt's narrative voice reminds me a bit of Alan Bennett and Max Beerbohm (at different times).
Representative quote: "He made a welcoming sound over a mouthful of flapjack and shut his newspaper. He did the universally understood spin of his hand to show he couldn't understand why it was taking him so long to swallow. It was the spin that said, 'I'm bored of chewing; I can't believe I'm still chewing.'"
You might not like it if: You're a bit put off by Hunt's descriptions of Black Pat, which can be . . . vivid.
How to get it: Not only is this book in print, it's even quite a recent publication. So, you could actually go into a bookstore that sells new books and expect to see this on the shelf. (Also available at libraries, or for your Kindle.)
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