I saw this Jack London novel on a list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. The story is told through the point of view of a large mixed breed dog, Buck. The narrator is omniscient so it does not come off as corny. Pretty short read and London is trying to get at the presence of ingrained, hereditary behavior in all species that reveals itself in the proper circumstances. Buck was a large working dog and as the dog sled team moved further and further into the wilderness, the instincts of the dogs and the two men take grip of their conscious decision making. Almost like an override system, they are put into auto pilot in the wilderness because hundreds of generations before them knew the woods as home. In regards to the mental decisions that affect the physical well being of the humans, as the men move further away from civilization they become more primordial humans. Nature, and the relative closness of the dogs to wolves, brings out primitive instincts. Buck reflects on challenges and the instincts he used to overcome them as the only stand out memories of his life. Buck realizes that "Far more potent were the memories of his heredity that gave things he had never seen before a seeming familiarity; the instincts (which were but the memories of his ancestors become habits) which had lapsed in later days, and still later, in him, quickened and become alive again". It is fascinating how these skills evolve. For example, light a match near a young dog and he or she will immediately be on alert and move away despite never experiencing the pain of fire. London's message is thought provoking and although at times the writing was difficult to follow since it was a dog's point of view, I recommend this book especially to dog lovers. I give it a very solid 3 red hunting caps out of 5. Close to 4, but I am going to be a hard ass with this system.
Next up, True Compass by Edward Kennedy.
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