C.J. Thomas

The first couple of chapters introduce us to Robin Dessein as a child, and give us a clear indication of who in her family she should listen to--certainly not her parents. At not quite eleven, they are convinced she is fat, and have bullied her into a calorie-counting "diet," that mostly makes her miserable.

Her dog, Little Dot, a shih tzu, is far more practical, realistic, and actually loves Robin for who she is, not for who she might be someday. Fortunately, Robin, being young enough not to care that it's impossible, is able to communicate with Little Dot telepathically. We also encounter Sean, who is the sort of charming, scheming bully that parents and teachers are charmed by, and Luke, who is visiting his grandmother next door. Luke.

Then we jump forward to adult Robin, a partner in her family's venture capital firm. She's still calorie-counting, and has the prefect figure her mother, especially, envisioned for her, She also has a brain, an engineering degree, and the family home her parents gifted to her when she got that engineering degree. She has three shih tzus now--Missy, Hapi, and Ginger. Sadly, she no longer believes that she can communicate with them telepathically. This is very unfortunate, because they pay attention, they hear things no one worries about them hearing, and they have a much better read on Robin than Robin or those around her have.

They also have a much better read on Sean. Sean? That kid? yes.

Robin also has Sean for her boyfriend. Yes, that Sean. He's an intellectual property lawyer now. He's the IP lawyer the firm relies on. Her mother is now deceased, but her father, Fritz, regards Sean as family, and happily looks forward to them marrying.

Sean and Fritz have a wonderful new product they think is perfect for the firm to fund and launch. It's the Build It Up Buttercup Bra--the BIUBCB. It inflates. Fritz and Sean think it's a brilliant idea that will rake in huge profits. They're both dismissive when Robin, the only woman in the discussion, tells them women won't wear it.

Robin has her own project the men dismiss as having no big market--the Richterstat, a rugged, but small and affordable, seismograph. It could be a major lifesaver in poor communities in seismically active areas. There's a big market, but it's not a big consumer market. Total waste of time, as they see it.

And then, at her sister Dolly's cookout, she meets, once again, Luke--who it turns out has his own. He's got a patent on a polyanhydride copolymer--one that floats. And he's got a design for children's t-shirts made from it, with popular superheroes and cartoon figures on them. They'll inflate in water, keeping children from drowning.

This is where we start to find out that Sean isn't stupid; he's just a thief. Not immediately, but it's the beginning of events that lead to Robin discovering what he's really up to, and why he's pushing the bra, but pooh-poohing the Richterstat. Sean does see the profit potential, and wants it for himself.

What follows is the dogs getting more concerned and trying to tell Robin what they know, Robin stumbling on evidence that Sean has stolen the plans for the Richterstat and is maybe suborning her assistant, Mary Ann. We witness Sean demonstrating that Robin is just a convenience and an opportunity, while Luke, who has never forgotten that he can talk to the animals, talks to Robin's three shih tzu girls, and starts showing real interest in Robin, too. When Robin gets in a car crash, she winds up in the hospital and the dogs in a shelter, truly strange things start to happen, and everything starts to come apart.

This isn't a great book, but it's a fun one. A bonus for me is that it features several small dogs (the three shih tzus and a Yorkie), who are smart, sensible, and well-behaved. They're not comic relief, or examples of the stereotype of small dogs. And, I've been the daughter who was smart but never quite good enough. At one point, Fritz tells his father that he criticizes Robin because she's so smart and talented and he wants her to do her very best...yeah, no, that's not the way to help or encourage your daughter to do better, because eventually it becomes clear that nothing the daughter will ever do will ever be good enough to praise unmixed with criticism. Fortunately, Fritz gets a shock and wake-up call, too. (No, the car crash isn't enough. Did you think it would be?)

I enjoyed it.

I bought this book.… (mehr)