Book of the Week: The Call

The Call by Yannick Murphy is funny, emotionally honest and fast-paced.

David Appleton, a large-animal specialist in rural New England, keeps a log of his veterinary calls, and these creative entries make up the text of Murphy’s novel.

The log gives glimpses into family life as Appleton records his thoughts on the way to and from his patient visits.

When a hunting accident injures Appleton’s only son, tension threatens to unravel the fabric of the family and the vet’s sanity. However, Appleton carries on with his veterinary practice, visits his son in the hospital, and tries to find his unknown shooter.

Murphy has a gift for infusing domestic details, emotion and plot into succinct passages as the reader observes one family for one year.

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