Eleven-year-old Delia Cross is on the cusp of fame; with the help of her slightly creepy agent, Roman, and her overly ambitious mother, Pat, she's about to land her first sitcom role. While Delia and Pat are off at auditions and rehearsals, Bart, the father, fritters away the family's money on gadgets and toys (and alcohol), and Robbie, Delia's twin, lurks in his room, mostly ignored in his utter normalness. The family also includes a dog, Caity, with whom Delia shares a special relationship. When tragedy strikes, ruining the girl's chances of sitcom stardom and pushing the family toward financial ruin, it is Caity who comes to Delia's aid--as savior, guardian and friend.

The Secret Life of Souls skirts cliché in the beginning: the parents blinded by their greed and ambition; the overshadowed sibling; the special relationship of a girl and her dog. Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee's female characters can feel trite at times, especially as Pat Cross drifts thoughtlessly between selfish ambition and motherly love. Tolstoy wrote that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way, and the Cross family is no exception. As their drama unfolds, The Secret Life of Souls moves beyond cliché and into the distinctive, especially in the unusual--and at times eerie--connection between Delia and Caity. Ketchum and McKee (I'm Not Sam) have imbued every page of their novel with a sense of suspense that will keep readers on their toes from start to finish.

Loved this book! I really enjoyed the aspect of the dog and how the story unfolded with a lyrical hint. It was a real page turner and going to be a reread for sure.

The Secret Life of Souls is one of the books I've been wanting to go back and give a proper review. It was released during my complete internet hiatus (November was an ugly month), but I've also had a hard time writing a review for it. It's a pretty short book, and all the things I love about it are tied to events in the story that I don't want to give away. I will just have to gush about it on the whole.

First of all, this is obviously a dog book. When I heard Jack Ketchum wrote a book about a gifted dog, well, it's harder to want a book more than I wanted The Secret Life of Souls. There are not enough genre dogs in my life.

Even with my expectations set so high, I loved The Secret Life of Souls.

As an adult, I avoid a lot of dog books. You won't catch me going near books like Marley and Me or The Art of Racing in the Rain. My chest hurts just thinking about what may be inside of those pages. After being a die hard Dean Koontz fan, though, I long for dogs like The Secret Life of Souls' Caity. I knew I would be in great hands with Jack Ketchum. He did write Red after all - an entire book avenging the death of a dog.

I'm not trying to lull you into a false sense of security. The Secret Life of Souls is a gut wrenching read. It's a psychological thriller, and it will certainly make you uneasy, but it's a great book. And a great dog. Have I mentioned how much I love Caity?

I posted The Secret Life of Souls as one of my favorite books of 2016, but it may very well be my favorite book of last year.

This is a novel of psychological suspense about a troubled family and their dog – believe me, it is much darker than it sounds. This is not a feel-good story about a girl and her loyal pet. The Cross family is emotionally dysfunctional and their poor decisions are continuously shocking. They face life-changing events, without any sense of emotional growth, making things even worse.

Delia Cross is a talented, up and coming actress, and at eleven years old, her career is just beginning. Her successes support her entire family, including her father Bart, who spends money faster than she can make it, and stage mom Pat, who is living vicariously through her daughter. Delia’s twin brother Robbie just wants a normal life, but he becomes reclusive and introverted in the shadow of his famous sister. Between her mother’s pill-popping, her father’s heavy drinking, and her brother’s practical jokes, Delia struggles to relax during her time off.

The family dog Caity seems to be the only calming force in Delia’s life – the two share a special connection, and Delia relies on her for a sense of quiet understanding after a difficult day. A Queensland Heeler, Caity is an incredibly loyal dog, although not all members of the family deserve it. When a tragic accident puts Delia’s career on hold, everyone in the Cross family reevaluates their roles in her life. Pat tries to turn Delia’s accident into a publicity stunt, but the young girl stays true to herself and her own morals. Caity the dog seems to be Delia’s only supporter, and she tries to protect the girl from her family, leading to shocking consequences.

Caity cannot always protect Delia, but they know they can be together, even in the afterlife. This novel is emotional and sometimes melodramatic, but never sentimental. The relationship between a girl and her dog is powerful, and their connection is eerie at times – this was reminiscent of some of Stephen King’s novels, which is not surprising considering he provided a cover quote for this novel. The Secret Life of Souls is surprising in plot as well as tone, and while I wasn’t expecting the direction it took, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened at the end.

I received this book from Pegasus Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Ketchum’s work in the past and watching a few of Lucky McKee's films (May is a must-see, btw), I pretty much read this book with my heart in my throat while I waited for the ball to drop on my head and I was not at all disappointed!

This is a not a feel-good story. Don’t let that lovely cover fool you. It is a story about two terrible, self-absorbed, materialistic people who never should’ve had children. But they did. Twins in fact. Now the twins are eleven and Delia, an actress, is their beautiful little money maker. Robbie is basically ignored while their stage mom drags Delia from job to job to keep up with their luxurious lifestyle and to keep herself supplied in alcohol. Dad stays home and buys himself expensive toys.

Ugh, I DESPISE these people. You will too. But you’re supposed to, so don’t feel bad about it. I sure don’t.

Delia’s only friend is her beloved dog Caity who has her own point of view. Caity is an amazing, fully fleshed out character. Their bond is super tight and extraordinary. It is also beautifully written and completely believable. Terrible things happen, as they do in a Ketchum novel, and I’m not going to spoil any of them. Just know that you will cry even if you think you’re too tough for that and when the story ends you will feel raw, as if you’ve been turned inside out and all of your nerve ending are now exposed. But you will not regret reading through the tough bits to get to the unforgettable end. Trust me on this.

I loved this book. Books like this are the reason I keep reading through all of the “meh” one’s. It is absolutely deserving of all five stars. Delia and Caity will forever be in my heart. Now I’ve got to go and hug my dogs before I get all weepy again.