The Call

by Yannick Murphy

The warm, wry, and patient voice of a veterinarian father tells the heartfelt story of his young New England family enduring a moving trial of loyalty, hope, and faith after they are confronted with an unthinkable crisis.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Animals, Adult Fiction, Family, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Yannick Murphy is the author of the novels, The Call, Signed, Mata Hari, Here They Come, and The Sea of Trees. Her story collections include Stories in Another Language and In a Bear's Eye. Her children's books include The Cold Water Witch, Baby Polar, and Ahwhoooooooo!. She is the recipient of various awards including a Whiting Writer's Award, a National Endowment for the Arts award, a Chesterfield Screenwriting award and her story In a Bear's Eye was recently published in the 2007 O'Henry Prize Stories.

Reviews

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I was reading along and was going to give it two stars because it wasn’t too bad and then it made me cry and so now I have to give it 3 stars, dammit! 😏

I am an observer of my own emotions, you see. My intellect may tell me 2 stars but then I observe myself crying and I say “well, you must like the book since it made you cry, fer chrissake”. So, I must listen to my inner voice. 😉

The structure of the novel was clever too. Told in the first person by a veterinarian with a wife and two daughters and a son, paragraphs are broken oftentimes into: The Call (a person calls the vet with a problem one of their animals has); Action (on the part of the vet); Thoughts While Driving Home; What I Say to My Wife; What The Wife Cooked for Dinner….and variations on that structure.

Events that occur in the story line are that his son gets shot accidentally by a hunter and falls from a tree and ends up in coma, and he (the vet) sees a spaceship, and he obsesses that everybody he sees in the town has shot his son (because nobody comes forward and says that they accidentally shot his son)…and then near the end of the book he gets an unexpected person coming to his house, and that person has an influence on lots of things.

One thing I never quite understood was why there was such great concern of his doctor and his wife and himself over high levels of something in his blood…that supposedly adversely affected or could affect his health…I think it had something to do with his prostate gland. Still haven’t figured that one out and I finished the book 6 hours ago. Oh well… 🤔

I think the author should have given a co-authorship to her husband because he is a vet, and there was a lot of vet stuff in the book that she would have had to vet the material by him (ha-ha!).

Well, actually she does dedicate the book partially to him, and to their children… Never mind, I guess….

Reviews:
• https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/book...
• https://www.cleveland.com/books/2011/...
• https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...
• https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book...

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Murphy’s unique literary structure to be easily read and entertaining. This is a wonderful “feel-good” novel that left me smiling. “The Call” is about a young Veterinarian in a rural area in New England. His practice consists mostly of house(farm) calls. His structure is based upon the calls he receives during the day. Murphy makes the veterinarian life seem mostly entertaining, with the sad cases peppered in.

The protagonist, David Appleton, is the father of three children, and husband of a spunky wife. Dr. Appleton loves his family and adores being with them. He loves his practice too, although he worries there isn’t enough Vet business in his area to fund his family. This is a story of a family in a small community. It’s a story of the quirkiness of small communities. It’s a story of duty and love. It’s a fast read; one that is perfect for the busy time in a readers life when one just wants a quick, fun book that leaves them smiling. I highly recommend this book when you feel like it’s time to just be entertained without a lot of heavy thinking.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the book is about: A veterinarian in Vermont and the telephone calls he receives, mostly from neighbors in his small town, seeking treatment for their large animals, usually horses, sheep and cows.

What the book is really about: Family, a father's boundless love, ordinary love, poor cooking, compassion, olives, hunting, survival, humor.

What I think about the book: I liked it.

What I really think about the book: It was amazing! The format was so very different from anything I have ever read before.

The above rambling will only have meaning to someone who has already read the book. After I read this short little book, I went online and read an interview with the author. And this is what will get many of you who are reading this to eventually read this title. I found out that this book was begun as a specific request from Dave Eggers to the author to write a short science-fiction piece for McSweeney's Quarterly. (Did I forget to say that there were also spaceships and spacemen in the book?) The result of that request is this wonderful and unforgettable little book with some laugh-out-loud moments mixed with a few tears. Forget this review and just read the book!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT I WOULD RATE THIS BOOK IF GOODREADS WOULD LET ME: 2.5 stars.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STORY: Animal doctor stuff, human doctor stuff, family stuff, father-son stuff, hunting and swimming, and the occasional possible spaceship sighting.
WHAT I COULDN'T DECIDE WHILE READING IT: If the unusual format was helping or hurting the story.
WHAT I SAW COMING A MILE AWAY: There's a reveal in the novel that I guessed at way early on, so I didn't really feel the emotion of it that I might have had it been more of a surprise.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK: Some of the stories of treating the animals, some of the main character's preoccupations, stuff the kids say, the house talking, the rabbit in diapers.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT IT: Due to the format and the way events came up so suddenly, there was a certain sense of detachment I felt while reading. Also found the random, multiple f-bombs unnecessary.
WHAT I COULD HAVE BEEN DOING INSTEAD OF READING THIS BOOK: Sleeping.
THE CALL: Simple story with some nice moments and messages ultimately overshadowed by the style.

[Andrew Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

CALL: I wanted something to read.
ACTION: Went to library, found book with cow on the cover. Checked it out.
RESULT: Enjoyed fantastic story which perfectly expressed sorrow, grief, frustration, and love through the lens of a country vetrinarian's ever more unplausible journal entries. Laughed out loud many times.
WHAT THE WIFE SAID: What are you reading?
WHAT I SAID: It's about a vet. You'll love it. It'll make you cry.
WHAT THE WIFE DID WHILE SHE READ THE BOOK: Cried.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first the format of this book seems off-putting, but then you find yourself flowing right along with the author, his family, his medical practice as a veterinarian. A hunting accident leaves his son in a coma, and then he has to make a decision that could affect his compromised health even more. Filled with odd New England neighbors, this book is a little gem.

[Licha · Rating 5 out of 5]

**2ND REVIEW/2ND TIME READ**
**1ST REVIEW BELOW LEFT UNEDITED**

There's not much I'm going to add to my first review other than I loved this as much as the first time but I also upgraded this to a 5 star from my first time four star. This book has always stayed with me since I first read it, so I'm adding a star.

I will also add that I love the style Murphy wrote this in and I can't praise her enough for being able to intersperse so much feeling and emotion into this style of writing. I wish we could get a sequel to this. Would it work or is this just perfect on its own?




1ST REVIEW:

I enjoyed reading this book. It's written in a log style, so you wonder how much of a story you're really going to get from this style of writing, but somehow it works. The story centers around a farm veterinarian's daily life at work and at home. The log starts the day with CALL. This sets off what the vet's day wil be like. Most are calls he puts in to see some sick animals and they are as interesting as the owners of the sick animals are. The vet logs in a lot of his thoughts, such as THOUGHTS ON THE WAY HOME, WHAT THE WIFE COOKED, WHAT THE HOUSE SAID, ETC. The fact that this works to tell a complete story is amazing and that's what makes this book unique and fun to read. You really like this guy and his family. The vet decides to take his son hunting for the first time and an accident happens. The way the family deals with this tragic accident is the heart of this story. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that there's a spaceship in this story.

I know that this may not sound like such an interesting story, but it really is. I found I could relate to the main character. You know how there's times you think some wacky things but in your mind they are not wacky at all? They make sense to you. But then you say them out loud and people look at you like you are funny or crazy. And you can't understand why. That is what this book reminded me of at times. All kinds of random thoughts come to this guy's head and he logs them down. Some are hilarious and it's because I can understand where he's coming from. It's the kind of things I would say but would get "the look" from people. Anyhow, I recommend this quirky story that is really full of heart. It's hard to describe how special it is until you read it for yourself.

[TinHouseBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tony Perez (Editor, TH Books): If you just flipped through Yannick Murphey’s The Call, it’d be easy to believe it is, at best, some interesting structural experiment (or at worst, some cheap gimmick). The book is formatted as the field notes of a rural veterinarian:

CALL: A cow with her dead calf half-born.

ACTION: Put on boots and pulled dead calf out while standing in a field full of mud.

RESULT: Hind legs tore off from dead calf while I pulled. Head, forelegs, and torso are still inside the mother.

THOUGHTS ON DRIVE HOME WHILE PASSING RED AND GOLD LEAVES ON MAPLE TREES: Is there a nicer place to live?

But it’s not long before the “actions” start revealing a rich interior, and the formal elements fade into the reader’s subconscious until Murphy feels the urge to grab our attention again (WHAT JANE EYRE HAD: A really sad life). The Call’s structure allows Murphy to explore the terrain of a quiet, domestic novel without for a moment crossing into the staid, tired, derivative territory that “quiet, domestic novel” might suggest. Instead, it had me itching to read on and, several times, near tears—not the least of which was when I learned another press had outbid us for the manuscript. God damn you, Harper Perennial! And god bless you for publishing such a brilliant, innovative, and moving book.

Desiree Andrews (Editorial Assistant, Tin House Books): I also really loved The Call by Yannick Murphy. The structure drew me in immediately but I was skeptical that the sincere yet simple voice of the protagonist would stay interesting throughout the book. It did, and through that sincerity, and the delicate off-kilter moments that pepper the narrative, The Call held up as a gentle yet powerful read.

Holly Laycock (Tin House Marketing Intern): At the behest of pretty much everyone at Tin House through one form of recommendation or another, I finally got around to reading The Call. And, like everyone before me who wrote about it for Friday Reads, I loved this book immensely. It was surprising to me that a book with such simple structure could support a story as emotionally intense as this–-where a family accident hounds a rural veterinarian amidst medical calls and daily life. But Yannick’s writing doesn’t get mired in the tragedy, and actually shines most in the day to day musings of this small town vet as he drives to and from calls, as he describes what his wife cooks for dinner, what the house sounds like at night. A definite must-read!

[Larraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my year to get out of my "reading only mysteries" rut and get back to reading literature. I reserved this through our library. I'm sure I read a review somewhere along the way. It's a short book - only 223 pages. It's chock full of daily banality and wonder at the same time. We meet a (mostly) large animal veterinarian in Vermont who describes his calls. One of his clients is a sheep who is a family pet and lives in the house. Then there's the farmer who keeps his cows in a warm basement for the winter! The vet's son, 12 yrs old, is excited about his first hunt. His mother is less enthusiastic. Father and son go out on their land where they have set up a hunting platform. Suddenly a shot rings out, and the son goes tumbling down. At first glance, it doesn't seem serious. For some reason though, the boy falls into a coma that lasts a long time. The police have no way to figure out who shot the boy, so the father becomes obsessed with finding the shooter. Meanwhile, someone is calling, but hangs up. The vet sees something that looks like a spaceship over his house. He wonders if they are going to be visited. They do get a visitor who changes their lives. This is really wonderful - and no, it's not science fiction. It's just a beautifully well-written novel.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Call was on a few "best of" lists in 2011 and that it is about a veterinarian, it called to me. My Dad was a veterinarian, so I knew I wanted to read it, but other than that, I had no idea of what to expect. The veterinarian, Dave Appleton, is a large animal vet in rural New England. The book, a fairly quick read, has an unusual structure that at first put me off a little. It's in the form of a "call log" and we live in Dave's head for the entire book as he not only logs his calls, but he tells of his thoughts, fears, family life (wife and 3 kids), spaceships, his quirky clients and townsfolk. The whole book is written in this format:

The Call: what his client is calling about
The Action: what he does
The Result: (self-explanatory)
Thoughts on the way home: either about the call, his family or life in general
What the wife cooked for dinner: (like another reviewer, I was hoping for some recipes!)
What one of the kids said: (and so on in this vein)

(That the client calls drive the narrative makes a lot of sense to me. I remember growing up that our life revolved a lot around my Dad's calls!)

Early in the book their 12-year old son, Sam, is shot in a hunting accident and goes into a coma. The shooter is unknown and this incident, which unhinges Dave and the family, becomes the focal point for much of the book. As the book goes on, Dave's call log becomes much more of a journal and the meaning of "The Call" evolves into something much bigger than the calls he receives from his clients.

I really enjoyed this book. The author did such a marvelous job of portraying what goes on in someone's head about day-to-day life, especially when life throws big curve balls ones way. It also shows all the complexities of life in his story about a year in the Appleton family's life. The story is formatted in the 4 seasons, starting with fall, ending with summer.

I highly recommend this book and say "bear with it" if you find the structure a little weird.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this a second time and I felt the same exact way. Why did I read it a second time? Life is too short - too many books!

First read: 19 September 2011

This was an interesting read. In a style that I am not really accustomed to. Here is an example:

CALL: Old woman with minis needs bute paste.
ACTION: Drove to old woman's house....
RESULT: Minis are really cute.
THOUGHTS ON DRIVE HOME: Must bring children back here sometime to see the cute minis.
WHAT CHILDREN SAID TO ME WHEN I GOT HOME: Hi, Pop.
WHAT THE WIFE COOKED FOR DINNER: Steak and potatoes, no salad.

This is the style of this book. And to me it seemed as if it was delivered in a monotone voice which left the story a bit flat for me. I guess you could say I enjoyed this book and wanted to know what was going to happen, but the pace was slow and the monotone voice left not much excitement in the telling of it. I could have stopped any time, but it is hard for me to not finish a book and so I did.

"The Call" is about a New England country vet, David, his wife Jen, and their three children, Sam, Sarah, and Mia. It is told throughout by David in the style that I wrote above. It is about this family, a spaceman, animals, and a hunting accident, along with a visitor that arrives towards the end of the story. So, if you dare, give it a read. If you are interested in different kinds of novels, give it a try. It is a style that is different and you should be in the mood for it.

[Gino · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Book:
supposedly profound but trivialized by structural gimmick. Supposedly has grand prose but structural gimmick turns everything into a sound-bite.

Action: Decided to read it on a trans-pacific plane flight.

What I Said to the Wife after the First 10 Pages: This has an interesting opening structure. I wonder how far this will continue. It is hard to see it lasting more than a chapter.

What I Said to the Wife at Page 20: Well, the opening structure seems to be with me for the duration and it is becoming much more annoying than interesting.

What I Said to Myself at about Page 40: Arghh! I don't think I'll be able to finish this. It is now really annoying. I may have to go into my bag and get a different book.

What I Asked Myself at about Page 50: What kind of editor doesn't warn an author that gimmicks don't raise quality?

What I Said to Yannick at about Page 60: Down damned book I say. I now need some soothing music.

What I Consumed to Prepare to Finish this Book: Mozart. Red wine.

Result: Finished it like a bedouin crosses the desert, persevered from one oasis of humor to the next.

Note to Editor: Gisela needs to tell Yannick that the structural gimmick makes it impossible to tell if she even has "grand prose" in her. The structural gimmick turns everything into a sound-bite. It also trivializes everything, most importantly the family tragedy that is supposed to be the core of the story.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I loved the quirky styleformat. At first everything seemed pretty mundane and boring, but if you paid close attention there were amazing things happening and profound lessons being learned. Such is true with life in general, you really need to pay attention!

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rural New England vet goes through each day taking calls, eating dinner, and hanging out with his kids. It's recorded in matter-of-fact style with little emotion.

The structure was fascinating at first, and the laconic, monotone voice of the narrator was amusing. Wow, fresh and fun, I thought.

Then, I kept reading and the freshness turned rancid. By the end I was looking to throttle someone each time I crossed yet another instance of the words "levels" or "spaceship." And the "visitor" that shakes things up was telegraphed so badly in the beginning that there was little surprise or finesse to it. That whole section with the spaceship/spaceman felt like a Lifetime movie. Ugh.

So, not for me.

-- 2 1/2 stars? I guess I'll push it to 3. I didn't hate it. I just resented it.

[Audacia Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. One of the best books I've read this year. Told in the first person, the book is the story of a large animal vet in the northeast. We go with him on his calls and get a peek into the relationships between people and animals, plus his relationship with his wife and three kids. That sounds half boring when I write it, but it so isn't. The characters are all so well written. I cried at least twice while reading the book, and that's pretty unusual for me.

I initially thought I'd tire of the form (paragraphs starting call/action/thoughts on the drive home, etc), but it just works. The writing is so spare and does so much in tiny paragraphs. I'll say it again: wow.

[Moira Allbritton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underrated book.

This slim read is about a dad/husband's worries set against his calls as a large animal vet.

Novel format.
Charming balance of quirky characters, humor, diagnosis and treatment, a sprinkle of magical realism, and a "spaceship".

Murphy nailed the dialogue. And marriage. And the nature of worry.

‐--------------

Would fit a ton of reading challenge categories:
Book you can read in a day.
Minimalistic cover.
No people on cover.
Book that mentions other books.
Takes place mostly outdoors.
(Minor) character with a disability.
Set in rural New England.
Includes an exotic animal [zebra].

[Deborah Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

When selecting a star rating I sometimes find myself hesitating over the button. Is this an "amazing" or "really liked it" book? Would I think it was amazing if it was a debut novel? Probably. In certain genres, some books of equal quality and appeal rate a little differently for me. Suffice it to say this is a beautiful book and I was captivated by it.

Initial Reaction: I'm not going to like this format.
Actual Response: I loved it.

I quickly became used to what in theory seemed off-putting, this staccato "Call" "What she Said" "What I thought" "Reaction" In fact, this unusual style actually added to the story for me. For example, did I really think I'd want to know what characters had for dinner every night? Yes, I did! Because of the reactions from the family!

This lovely, "quiet" book seemed to revolve around the coma of the son, but in reality it revolved around the rhythm of their days in a kooky, remote farming region, affected and impacted by the son's coma. The veterinarian father was almost unhinged inside by this event, but not only held it together on the outside, he remained a warm, funny conspirator with his children against the mother's eternal attempts to corral and civilize them. A mother who seemed to be excluded, but was in reality a person whose loving strength and consistency grounded them all.

In this book I felt oddly centered by their story. If the cycle of seasons in this close, funny, gorgeous family could continue, then all was somehow right with the world.

I will be reading more by this talented author.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a sigh, I picked up this selection for one of my reading groups and was glad to see it was short. "The daily rhythm of a veterinarian's family in rural New England" would not be something I chose to read about.

Then I read the first page and sighed more deeply. It is written as a sort of log of the vet's day: what he was called for, how it went (gruesome), and some comments on the family. I thought it might take a couple bottles of wine to get me through.

Luckily, happily, and admiringly, I had been fooled. The family in this story is mundane the way that most families are but they are unique and deep and spirited in the way most of probably wish our families were. When the 13 year old son gets shot and knocked out of a tree in a hunting accident, leaving him in a coma for months, the family's idyllic but rather dull life turns into a Greek tragedy. And then other stuff happens.

It all turns out OK. This is not one of those melodramatic Oprah novels. But I was so in tune with the vet, the wife, the two younger daughters. God, I was even in tune with the dog. I am not sure I would have dealt with their situation as gracefully as they did. That's where that awkward adverb (admiringly) came from in the third paragraph of this review.

Yannick Murphy performed some kind of alchemy here, turning the dross of daily life into something of great value. It is not always a bad thing when others pick books for me to read.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. I basically felt like I was reading one long report, the kind that doctors carry around on their clipboards and consult before asking you a medical question, comprised mainly of Twitter-length entries.

I'm not sure what to make of it, because while I feel like the format of the novel is certainly intriguing and unconventional and somehow fitting with the story, it was also the format that impeded me from getting invested, as if (to reference another fictional doctor) I was sitting in House's office and watching everything unfold in the room next door through the glass partition.

[Marylou Najera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely and heartfelt novel, but never sappy or heaven forbid, maudlin.
So... "human," is all I can think of at the moment. The characters are so genuine and the dialogue is so real, it could have come out of my own home, and from my own children and family.

I can't wait to read more of Ms. Murphy's stuff, that's how impressed I was by this honest and cleverly done work.

[Marianna Still · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked: The "quietness" of the book.
What really made me laugh: The rabbit in the nappy and the vet leaving the light on for the horse.
What I want to do now: Live in the woods, throw my TV away and read books out loud in front if the fire.

[Margo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually I could not finish this book - too disjointed and really unpleasant. CAN NOT recommend to anyone... would give it zero stars if possible

[Sandra The Old Woman in a Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sad about the low-star reviews from people who did not finish this book. Because it is an original, insightful, almost poetic portrayal of everyday life in a family. Some readers seem turned off by the writing style which they perceive as gimmicky. However, I think it is anything but. The protagonist is a large animal veterinarian. I'm also a vet, and the style of writing felt comparable to a clinical note-taking method with SOAP as the acronym. I don't know if that is what the author intended, but the rhythm of the thought process her writing style evokes resonated with me as a veterinarian. It felt comfortable and familiar, even though it wasn't objectively close to replicating SOAP.

On top of this, the interrelationship of the people, pets, clients, and townspeople was poignant and resonated with my heart.

Plus - the veterinary medicine substance in the book was accurate and well written. The author's husband is a vet and must have reviewed her writing. Well, it is veterinarian approved.

Like many readers, I wasn't sure I liked the style of the writing for the first 50 pages or so, but the rhythm grew on me and I liked it by the end. It works for this book, IMO. It feels a lot like reading medical record notes, and that is very appropriate for giving the reader the experience of seeing the world through the eyes of the main character/narrator of the book.

I may up adjust this rating to 5-stars, but I need to ruminate for a while. My grading curve has become tougher over the years. This book is somewhere between 4 and 5.

****Spoiler below****

The kidney transplant section of the story was surprising and wonderful to read. I am a living kidney donor and the description of the process/experience was as close to reality as I've read in fiction. Bravo to this author.

[Leslie Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find myself wondering if this book really was amazing, or did I just really like it... I finally chose amazing because the writing format was new and original (although at first I wasn't sure if I could read the entire book and enjoy it), I loved the characters, I loved the cycle of life depicted throughout, I loved the "real" thinking and the overcoming and eventual forgiveness. This quirky family, especially the dad will remain with me for a long time. This book is a quiet little gem! Loved it!

* Just as an fyi - the F-bomb shows up a few times. I didn't find it inappropriately used (if there ever is a time for it to be appropriate), but it is there.

Favorite Quote:
"We drive talking about our children. When we are alone we like to tell each other how wonderful our children are, but it is something we do not tell others. We tell each other with abandon, things we have lately seen in our children that prove how smart and wonderful and cute they are. We puff each other up with the glory of our children, we talk about how beautifully Sam is recovering, his speech not half as slurred, as if this were a sign of some sort of intelligence, but the minute we pull in to the farm, our conversation changes and we both know that it will be a while again before we are alone, without being interrupted, for a long period of time where we can brag so shamelessly to one another. It is a relief to do all the bragging, it's cathartic, as if we need everyone once in a while to do this bragging, or so that we remind each other of how right it was for us to have married each other." pg. 149

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does an author come up with this? This is an elegant story about family, relationships, love and forgiveness dressed up as a simple story written creatively, seemingly randomly then suddenly it comes together. Except that spaceship which I never quite resolved.

It's a short book about a country veterinarian and what he might write in his daily log.

Call: A cow with her dead calf half-born.
Action: Put on boots and pulled dead calf out while standing in a field full of mud.
Result: Hind legs tore off from dead calf while I pulled. Head, forelegs, and torso are still inside mother.
Thoughts on drive home while passing red and gold leaves on Maple trees: Is there a nicer place to live?
What the children said to me when I got home: Hi, Pop.
What the wife cooked for dinner: Something mixed up.

And somehow a story emerges from this log. Conflict, resolution, humor, imagination and real story that touches the reader is told. Animal owners are nothing short of hilarious and sad and lonely and sweet. Naturally, my favorites were Dorothy and Alice. One was an old woman and the other was her housebroken sheep she took with her everywhere including church. I'd love to tell you which is which but they are indistinguishable.

Very well written.

Violence: Quite a bit as he is a veterinarian who delivers dead calves.
Swearing: Moderate. "f" words pop up frequently
Dialogue: Mature
Sex: Mild/Moderate within marriage and later the Newfoundlands seem to forget public behavior.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Call is an elegantly simple (or simply elegant) little novel. The simple arises out of the structure the author uses to tell her story. Each journal like entry begins with the Call, followed by the Action, the Result, What the kids said when I got home, What my wife cooked for dinner, etc. The elegant develops as each journal entry deepens the characters and the story until you feel like you live in the cozy, creaking house with them.

David Appleton is a large animal vet in rural New England. He gets a call and heads out to help a horse or a cow or a sheep named Alice who lives in a house with Dorothy. With each new case David tells us what the problem was, what actions he took, and the results of those actions. Along the way he gives us reports about his conversations with his customers and his family and as each case is told, so is the story. The straightforward reporting style is deceptive. Each small detail reported tells a little more about David and his family, their home, his customers and his small town. When a tragedy occurs you feel it as deeply as David and his wife Jen because you've come to know these people. And though David continues to report his cases you can feel his pain and desperation with each word.

There are a couple of big events in this book but it's not really about them. It's about these people living these lives day to day. It's about getting to know them one snippet of conversation at a time so that by the end you know what it feels like to live in their house.

[M. Sarki · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://rogueliterarysociety.com/f/th...

WHAT I DID IN THE MORNING: Woke the wife up, looking for pants that would keep out the rain while I hunted with Sam.

The structure of this novel is unique and original. Though some reviewers find the format uncomfortable, I quickly grew into it, especially connecting with the male narrator. Murphy’s actual husband, I believe, is also a veterinarian. And knowing Murphy also writes delightful children’s books, as well as raising her own children, makes this novel even more intimate.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM RABBITS: That wherever you are, you must look for a place where you can run to and hide.

In this wonderful book Yannick Murphy provides ample insight into living a life successfully. Navigating pitfalls and accidents while treating disease and injuries that constantly threaten all of our lives.

...When we are alone we like to tell each other how wonderful our children are, but it is something we do not tell others…

The family in The Call is a lovable mix. However, there is nothing amenable in the character of the veterinarian, though he remains throughout the book a figure of strength even in light of his daily struggles and confusion over what is perceived as certain invasions into his otherwise peaceful and bucolic existence. Yannick Murphy is a brilliant star in contemporary writing, and this book only stands to further her worth in our literary oeuvre.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, delightful, unique. A lovely story of a New England veterinarian and his wife and three children, this is not a James Heriot wanna-be, which is a good thing. I loved James Heriot's books, so I was really impressed that this book revisited the same type of subject in a completely different manner and was really good on its own merit. I think this is a brave and brilliant thing to do. Can you imagine going to a publisher and saying you want to write a book about a country vet and his visits to sick farm animals and their owners. The publisher would say: "forget it--been there; done that, etc."

Also, I like it a lot when an author can be really funny in the midst of tragic situations as well: it's a great talent to mix sadness and happiness because it keeps you on your toes as a reader. Your mind doesn't sit back and say, "Oh yeah, I get it: the background music is all violins." Your mind has to stay wide open because you don't know what mood you're going to be in a few lines down the page. This writer is the kind of guy you would like to invite to your dinner parties because he would be endlessly spinning tales about everything and nothing. An altogether lovely read.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking back, I can't believe I read this in October. Must have been the last book I got through before the season got me.

But I remember I liked it very much. I liked it's odd format--a call log of problems the veternarian needs to solve, and his thoughts and responses to those problems. I was reading slowly and at odd moments in those days of October, and I remember thinking that this was the perfect format for a flaky frame of mind. I liked hearing a man of science, a husband, and a father mention what mattered to him about his daily life, and how he viewed his wife's reactions. It made me think about how men think. And I was interested to hear how vets solve some of the problems they encounter (or cause themselves).

But what gave the whole some depth was the agonizing blow the family received one fall day and how they dealt with the uncertainty and confusion that ensued. Sleepless nights and sweaty dreams are easier to read about than go through, but the whole dilemma kept me reading in wonder and anxiety.

On the whole, I thought the book daring and successful, humane and real. Good job, Yannick Murphy!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Call is, quite simply, the best novel I have read in years. It's the story of David Appleton, a veterinarian in rural Vermont. The novel is uniquely structured as a log of the calls that he makes as a vet, although the calls just as often involve his family as they do his veterinary practice. A tragedy strikes his family and the novel at its heart is the story of David coming to grips with this tragedy and trying to make sense of this totally senseless act. In this respect, it reminded me of Don DeLillo's White Noise, another of my favorite novels.
Although there is a tragedy at the heart of The Call, the novel is never depressing. It's funny, touching and poignant, sometimes all on the same page. This is the kind of book I want to buy and give to everyone I know. I am a better person for having read it; The Call is that good.