The Dogs of Venice

Hardcover, 80 pages

English language

Published Oct. 14, 2025 by G.P. Putnam Sons.

ISBN:
979-8-217-04760-4
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1481791081
ASIN:
B0DT3GHYTL
Goodreads:
223641006
(1 review)

After months of planning a romantic holiday getaway in Venice, Paul is blindsided when his five-year marriage suddenly unravels. Fueled by heartbreak, Paul endeavors to take the trip alone.

Soon after arriving in Italy, he notices a small, scruffy, self-assured dog trotting alongside a canal with the confidence he so desperately wants for himself. When their paths cross again, Paul feels compelled to learn how his new four-legged friend thrives on his own. Amid the food, sights, and welcoming people of Venice, Paul’s journey culminates in a magical encounter that leads him to feel real connection—to a dog, to a foreign city and, most importantly, to himself.

Capturing Steven Rowley’s signature wit, insight, and indelible characters, The Dogs of Venice offers another timeless story of love lost, and independence found—a holiday tonic for the soul.

1 edition

Lonely Man Finds Dog in Venice

A short novella about a sweetly neurotic New Yorker divorcé named Paul traveling to Venice for a no-longer romantic Christmas trip. He sees a street dog projecting a level of confidence he has never felt and wishes to study its ways.

As usual, Rowley delivers a witty, silly, and heartfelt story. Paul’s heartbreak and feelings of failure and rejection are palpable. He feels like he can’t even do though most basic things, but he pushes himself more and more. It would be easy to make Paul into a ridiculously pathetic person, but Rowley lets us see that he’s a relatably “pathetic” person instead. Paul carries so much fear of rejection and lonelinesss and I felt it viscerally.

It’s a definite recommend for fans of Steven Rowley and those who love stories about sweet gay men who need to find their spark again.