A Review by Ruth Hunter of Bertrams

Maf the dog was a real hound given by Frank Sinatra to Marilyn Monroe in 1960, only a few years before her death. In this funny and magical novel, Maf relates his own experience of those years. Maf is a hugely intellectual dog who absorbs the knowledge of everyone he meets. Beginning life in a literary household in Scotland, he goes on to meet not just Marilyn but many other high profile actors, writers and artists of the time. O’Hagan has surpassed himself with this novel, tracing both the tragedy and pettiness of fame through a dog’s eyes. The other non-human characters – from poetic cats to Russian bedbugs, to streetwise rats – were also a treat.