A JOURNEY WITH ORVIS

Mosley explores all that is strange and wonderful about human life and culture while traveling the world with an imaginary dog in this fanciful travelogue.

The author, a travel writer, is poking around a junkyard in Fossil, Oregon, when he meets an imaginary dog named Orvis (“It was hard to say at that point what sort of a dog he was. A mix for sure, some poodle in him, maybe some Scottish terrier. Nothing was for sure, and it would no doubt change as we got to know one another”). The two become instant friends. Mosley likes Orvis for his scruffy, unique appearance, and Orvis is fascinated by how Mosley sees the world. From there, the two set off on a unique journey traversing the United States, Mexico, Europe, the U.K., and Istanbul, with Mosley guiding the naive, football-obsessed, and randy-for-a-French-poodle Orvis. Along the way, Orvis inquires about many of humanity’s quirks, and Mosley must explain everything from film and literature to Christmas and Santa Claus to the bewildered canine. Each chapter chronicles a different step in the duo’s journey, noting the people they meet and the near-misses they experience, ending in Oregon where their story began. Orvis’ true nature is never revealed—he’s described as “imaginary” throughout the book, but he encounters and interacts with other people beyond Mosley’s imagination, sometimes having adventures without his intrepid guide. This ambiguity adds to the strain of magical realism running throughout the narrative, and Orvis’ sense of objective wonder at the world highlights the absurdity of human existence. Some readers will find Orvis an intriguing, engaging character, similar to fairy-tale manifestations of philosophical and moral concepts, while others may find his abstract quality inaccessible. Mosley also walks the line between inaccessible and accessible in his writing, delving into philosophy, morality, and the nature of human existence with a minimalistic, salt-of-the-earth style that reads like a postcard from an old friend. This tension is precisely what makes the book unique.

A cleverly presented piece of creative nonfiction that will engage adventurous readers.