The Eyes and the Impossible - Dave Eggers - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Dave Eggers

ILLUSTRATOR: Shawn Harris

NARRATOR: Ethan Hawke

GENRE: Middle-grade Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: May 9, 2023

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade novel coming from the perspective of a dog. Great original narrative voice, awesome characters, good plot, lovely illustrations.

Plot Preview:

Johannes, proud of being a free dog rather than a “kept dog”, lives in a park filled with animals and visiting humans. He knows that he's superior to the humans but still likes them, though they have done nothing to deserve it. He also knows that he is the fastest runner, the most intelligent, and the best at his job as “the Eyes” of the park. As you can see, Johannes is quite humble. *wink, wink.*

As “the Eyes”, Johannes has to report any untoward incident to the park’s respected elders, three ancient bison. Along with his assistant Eyes – a raccoon, a pelican, a seagull, and a squirrel, Johannes ensures that the equilibrium of the park is kept in balance. But soon, there are a few too many changes in the park, and the equilibrium seems shaky. Even more shattering, Johannes learns that all that he knew of the world was doubtful.

The story comes to us in the first-person perspective of Johannes.

This book won the Newbery Medal in 2024, and reading it confirmed that the Medal jury got it right this time, unlike in 2021.

Bookish Yays:

🐶 The introductory note that asks readers to treat the animals in the book as animals, instead of superimposing an allegory on their behaviour. “It is a tendency of the human species to see themselves in everything, to assume all living things, animals in particular, are simply corollaries to humans.“ - Accurate!

🐶 Johannes. You will either love him or hate him, but you won’t be able to stay neutral about him. His knowledge goes far beyond what you would expect from a dog. He isn’t afraid to voice his opinions freely because he knows his opinions are right. He makes for a fabulous first-person narrator.

🐶 The genuine feel of the dog’s perspective in this book. Anyone who knows dogs knows that they are like little children: excitable, loving, playful, loyal, friendly, and adamant. Johannes’s narration epitomises all these qualities beautifully. Listening to him feels like we are actually hearing from a dog.

🐶 Johannes’s vocabulary! He isn't a typical dog, and his locution proves it. It was hilarious to see a dog use words such as propulsion and gravitas and ascertain and ignominious! 😆Kids might not know all these words, but there’s no better way to learn new words than through a book, especially one narrated by a dog. I loved his lingo.

🐶 The other animal characters. All outstanding! It’s so amazing that the author didn’t stick to the usual animals. The idea of a dog, a seagull (Bertrand was my favourite after Johannes!), a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican working as the Eyes of the park and reporting to bison is preposterous and yet hilarious. Each animal’s personality comes out distinctly, which is highly praiseworthy considering that we know only Johannes’ inner thoughts.

🐶 The uncommon perspective. Looking at humans from an external view offers much food for thought. We see through the five Eyes how humans can affect animals in parks knowingly and unknowingly.

🐶 The plot. Not like most dog stories, which are usually about loyalty towards humans. Johannes being the master of his own will contributes much in setting this book apart from the standard canine-literature offerings.

🐶 The beautiful descriptions of nature in the park, with such lush and vibrant imagery that we feel we are right there beside Johannes. The entire writing is lyrical.

🐶 The humour throughout, thanks to Johannes, who was funny despite not deliberately being funny. Some of his thoughts were so ludicrous that I couldn’t help laughing aloud!

🐶 The use of hyperbole in the narrative. Johannes’ over-the-top estimations (He clearly doesn’t know his math!) and exaggerated self-aggrandizement are outrageous. Listening to his narration is akin to hearing a little child who embellishes every story they recount. It feels more cute than annoying, and though I did roll my eyes at times, it was more out of amusement than out of exasperation.

🐶 Nice, short chapters, perfect for little eyes and ears.

🐶 The secondary themes. Though not directly, the content touches upon some sensitive topics such as religious tolerance, xenophobia, racial discrimination, and individual freedom.

Bookish Mixed Bags:

🐾 Johannes rambles a lot, sometimes going almost stream of consciousness in his thread of thought. While this is fun, it is also confusing at times. It will be easier to go with the flow to keep up with this hyperactive but loveable dog.

🐾 The blurb calls this an illustrated novel, which is partly inaccurate. It is not replete with graphics, but there are nine fabulous watercolour full-page illustrations. These are classical landscapes by famous artists, on each of which illustrator Shawn Harris added Johannes. These are visually stunning! Every “painting” depicts Johannes at one with the park, either running or contemplating. So yes, you get nine paintings with Johannes, not a book full of illustrations.

🐾 Things do go a bit over the top at the end, but what the heck! It’s a children’s book – leave logic aside and enjoy!

Bookish Nays:

🐕 The plot has a mention of bird suicide. This wasn’t that important to the core story and could easily have been avoided, considering the target age of the readers.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 5 hrs 20 min, is narrated by actor Ethan Hawke. I have not watched him in any movie to date, but hearing him as Johannes makes me wonder what I might have missed. His performance is superlative! I don’t think I have ever heard a narrator be at one with his character to such an extent. If you have access to the audio version, then this book MUST be read through audio.

All in all, this was a fun ride. I adore dogs, so it was easy for me to enjoy a dog’s perspective in such an unusual story. The other animals added to the charm.

Definitely recommended! It’s a very good book, made great by the main character and the narrator.

My thanks to McSweeney's for providing the DRC of “The Eyes and the Impossible” via NetGalley. I accessed the audiobook version through my library. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.