What do readers think of The Uproar?

I will admit to grabbing an advance copy of The Uproar because of that wonderful cover and understanding it was about trying to temporarily rehome a dog. Not just any dog, Judy is a 150# Bull Mastiff with numerous health concerns. Sharif and his wife Adjoua are expecting their first child who has been diagnosed with leukemia in utero. The dog can’t be in their cramped apartment while the baby is treated. Needless to say, no one agrees to take the dog. Dog parents can absolutely understand the dilemma Sharif is faced with. And he ends up making a bad decision about who to trust.
The stress that Sharif is under is palpable. On top of the cascading problems resulting from that one poor decision, his marriage begins to show stress fractures. But he’s also totally obtuse.

Dimechkie’s writing was masterful. It was easy to envision each scene and feel each character’s emotions. My thoughts were ricocheting all over the place in how I felt about all the characters – sympathy, frustration and at times, despair.
The story would be a great book club selection. There are multiple meaty themes – sacrifice, what makes someone a good person, advantage, marriage, emotional affairs, cyber bullying. I highly recommend at least reading this with a buddy because you are going to want to discuss it!

The ending totally caught me by surprise. In fact, I’m still a bit in shock at how it played out.

Warning – there was one scene that had me squirming on behalf of poor Judy.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for an advance copy of this book.