King the Wonder Dog: and Other Stories [She Writes Press; April 2026] is a new literary short story collection from National Book Award finalist Eleanor Lerman.
Set primarily in contemporary New York, King the Wonder Dog centers on a group of aging, lonely men and women whose lives are quietly transformed through their relationships with dogs and cats. These are stories about loss, survival, and the unexpected ways companionship—especially the wordless kind—can offer solace, clarity, and second chances.
In one story, a woman whose beloved dog is stolen finds an unlikely ally who helps her recover him. In another, an artist who survives a drive-by shooting is repaid with a mysterious gift from the cat he once rescued. Elsewhere, a man in a troubled marriage begins drawing a graphic novel starring his dog as a fierce protector—and finds comfort in the act of imagining safety. Across the collection, animals are not sentimental stand-ins but emotional anchors, helping their humans endure moments of fracture and isolation.
With warmth, restraint, and emotional precision, Lerman explores aging, grief, and love. It is a poignant, deeply humane collection that will resonate with readers who loved The Art of Racing in the Rain and literary fiction rooted in compassion, interiority, and quiet revelation.
Lerman is one of the youngest-ever finalists for the National Book Award and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship for poetry, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for fiction. Her career spans more than fifty years, and her work has appeared in dozens of literary journals and magazines.
