There’s a madman dog beside me, and the hounds of memory ahead of us. It’s love and beasts and wild mistakes, and regret, but never to change things…

What happens when the Zusaks open their family home to three big, wild, pound-hardened dogs – Reuben, a wolf at your door with a hacksaw; Archer, blond, beautiful, deadly; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm?

The answer can only be chaos: there are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property trashing, bodily injuries, stomach pumping, purest comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that needs to be seen to be believed … not to mention the odd police visit at some ungodly hour of the morning.

There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love – and the joy and recognition of family.

From one of the world’s great storytellers comes a tender, motley and exquisitely written memoir about the human need for both connection and disorder; but it’s also a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty – but also the visceral truth of the natural world – straight to our doors and into our lives, and change us forever.

Markus Zusak is the international bestselling author of six novels, including The Messenger, Bridge of Clay and The Book Thief – one of the most loved books of the twenty-first century. His work is translated into more than fifty languages, has been awarded honours around the world and adapted into film, television and theatre. He was born in Sydney, and still lives there with his wife, two children, and the last dog standing in a once thriving household of animals. Three Wild Dogs (and the truth) is his first book of non-fiction.

Markus will be in conversation with Danielle Wood, Tasmanian writer of fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children. She is the author of The Alphabet of Light and Dark, which won the prestigious Vogel Literary Prize in 2002. (She is also a confirmed dog lover, having brought her kelpie along to another recent Fullers event…)

Join them at the Afterword Cafe. Tickets are $15 and include a glass of wine or soft drink.

(The book and ticket price includes a free ticket. You can pick up from the store from September 10, or at the event.