The Great Dane

The Great Dane is my new favorite love story. I am still staring at the wall, so this review might be a ramble, but I hope I make some sense. I don't usually believe in 6-star or breaking my rating scale, but this book would do it. It is one of the most immersive books I've ever read. I would fall asleep thinking of Dane and Liko, and I would wake up thinking of them. I felt like I was standing in the kitchen with them, walking on the farm beside them. I couldn't put this book down, and I often teared up at the thought of this experience ending. It was otherworldly how close I felt to this story. The Great Dane is masterfully crafted with authentic language, beautiful imagery, and a seamless dual timeline. It has thoughtful LGBTQIA+ representation, illustrates the evolution of grief, and reveals the diversity of love and sexuality. I loved solving the puzzles alongside Liko and seeing how the game unfolded with the context offered gradually as trust grew. I cared for and rooted for every character. Suanne Laqueur writes the human experience in a way that feels indulgent and rich. It makes you want to live more, live bigger, to know love and feel the full spectrum of emotion that this world can offer. She writes conversations you could have with a friend or on a date tomorrow. She writes inside jokes that you both want to be a part of and don't want to intrude on because her characters feel like real people. Her prose is stunning; I was highlighting everything, bookmarking…

Thought provoking and extremely empathic, The Great Dane is a beautiful tribute to the unique. The depth of kindness and goodness that radiates throughout is something to behold. The way the author weaves the heavy with the joy is an art. To be fair though, she had me at the dedication.

When I sit down to write a review for a Suanne Laqueur book, I freeze. My thoughts seem insufficient and the words won’t come. I seem incapable of more than “I loved it!” But I’ll try, because I really, really loved it. The Great Dane is so beautifully written. It’s deeply emotional and cleverly crafted, pulling me into the story so completely, I felt as though I was part of that world and I never wanted to leave. Liko and Dane are such wonderful characters, and while it took me a little longer to connect with Dane, I fell completely in love with his beautiful soul. These two men have both suffered great loss. Their grief is so intense, it’s almost tangible. But there’s such beauty in their healing. The Three Hares is one of the most special elements of this story to me. The tales, the images, the Hare Ring, the Chamber of the Green Man. The stories of these three hares and their bond. It’s quite brilliant and beautiful and heartbreaking, and it gives so much depth and hope to this story. This is so much more than a five-star book. It’s phenomenal.

This story started slow for me and I started to struggle with it. Not sure why exactly, most likely it was on my end. It turned into a such a good story of overcoming, falling, and moving forward in life, love, and the struggle to make it all come together. Definitely recommend. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

How do I adequately put into words what a tapestry of brilliance that this story is? Suanne Laqueur pens it best in her dedication when she says this book is dedicated to all of us. It isn’t just an umbrella statement to include everyone as in each person, but for each personality or the multiple facets of our identity within us, too. And if that doesn’t resonate with the reader, I’m not sure that she could’ve written anything else to make one feel more “seen.” Liko Greenman is still in the depths of grief over the tragic loss of his son. In an effort to remain close to the memory of his son, he tries to unravel the mystery behind the Three Hares, which was his son’s favorite video game and has a cult-like following. I want to take a moment to appreciate the breadth, research and detail that was put into the design of this Three Hares puzzle and artwork because Suanne doesn’t do anything in half measures. I was in awe of this aspect of the book, simply because it went above and beyond a world building that had to have required so much time and meticulous attention to create and was absolutely ingenious. Liko meets Danelaw Strong, who is also experiencing grief upon the loss of his life partners, Ethan and Nomi. Ethan is the brain and artist behind the Three Hares. Nothing, and I emphasize absolutely nothing, about Dane or his history is what one would expect. Both of them are bonded by trauma and tragedy, as well as loneliness, and cannot deny their obvious chemistry…