A Collie, A Spaniel, and A Lot of Discontent

A Collie, A Spaniel, and A Lot of Discontent

Nora Haggerty

Jonathan Unleashed

By Meg Rosoff

When Jonathan Trefoil accepted his brother’s request, he had no idea what an impact Sissy and Dante would have on his life. Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff is about a young man named Jonathan who lives an uncharacteristically boring life in New York with a girlfriend who does not suit him and a job where he cannot reach his full potential. He has an eclectic personality and a tendency to greatly over analyze and occasionally space out while doing so, and is clearly not as happy as he could be. Things begin to change when his brother has to leave the country for six months and leaves Jonathan with his two dogs, a Cocker Spaniel named Sissy, and a Border Collie named Dante. The dogs bring some sense of stability to Jonathan’s life, and though he did not think he would like them at first, his love for them is shown even in the first few chapters. He cares for their happiness and mental state enough to bring them to a vet when he thinks they are discontented in his small Manhattan apartment. These dogs allow Jonathan to reach out beyond his normal network of people, and change the way he thinks about his own life.

Though Rosoff’s writing is entertaining and at times comical, I found the plot and story itself somewhat boring. I found myself waiting and waiting for a conflict to occur or problem to arise, for something substantial to happen and to no avail. I did not finish this book, so I cannot speak for the ending, but it was uneventful enough for me to resist continuing past the twenty-third chapter. My main emotions while reading the novel were sympathy for Jonathan because of how stuck he seemed, and frustration because he did not try to actively do anything about it. For example, at one point, his girlfriend Julie, in the midst of planning their (spoiler alert) marriage, replies very romantically when Jonathan asks her why she wants to marry him: “I’m used to you” (147). Their entire wedding is only happening because it is convenient for Julie as it will be paid for by her employer. Julie herself is not an interesting character and hard to understand -- and not the kind of character that a reader wants to take time to understand - she doesn’t even like the dogs!

It seems like no one really understands Jonathan very well except for his best friend Max, who was one of my favorite characters because of his blunt personality. Max is disapproving of Julie and tries to give Jonathan a reality check but Jonathan is too consumed with trying to change his life and feel more like a real adult. Max’s character is likable because he is honest and it is evident how much he cares about Jonathan’s wellbeing. After Jonathan had a breakdown in front of important businessmen during an advertising pitch, Max visited him in the hospital to talk about how things were going at work and reiterate how he felt about Jonathan’s relationship. He jokes around saying, “We’re not happy you're here, obviously, but drama-wise it's fantastic… I'm not suggesting you die to satisfy an office pool, but if you did, I promise I'd throw you a slap-up wake” (168). Their friendship is important because it helps keep Jonathan a little more sane than he may otherwise be, and Max wants Jonathan to not be restricted by an unsatisfying relationship.

Something I liked about Jonathan Unleashed was how Rosoff’s writing style fit the personalities of the characters she created. There was a lot of dry humor and I did find myself laughing every so often. Her writing is casual yet detailed and the reader can really understand how people are feeling throughout the book, and maybe even relate to them, based on their dialogue and actions. An example of this was in Rosoff’s description of Jonathan’s boss’s work strategies, “Eduardo’s strategy was to hire good-natured, fun-loving, intelligent, young people at entry-level salaries to exploit and betray until they lost the will to live” (56). Not only does the contrast in tones help the reader understand Eduardo’s character, but it is humorous and shows what Jonathan thinks about his boss. Further, this may be something that readers can connect to because I imagine Rosoff’s audience is mainly adults that are on the younger side who are possibly in similar situations, just starting out in the real world.

I would say this book is for people who want something light hearted and simple. There was not anything particularly engaging about the two thirds of the book I read, and at times it seemed a little disjointed, as events would come and go very quickly. Not much about this book was exceptionally powerful, though it did minimally touch upon the love that a dog owner can have for their canines. I did not become attached to any of the characters or really invested in the storyline, but readers that enjoy occasional comedy and want to feel badly for characters may find this book to their liking.