The Last Family in England — Matt Haig

An original and fun first novel destined for cult success.

Meet the Hunters: Adam, a teacher, his wife Kate, and their teenage children Hal and Charlotte. But it is Prince, the family's black Labrador, who is the narrator and protagonist of this tale.

An earnest young dog, Prince strives hard to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact: “Duty Over All” -- that duty being to serve and protect their Family at any cost. Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. (Their slogans are “Dogs for Dogs, not for Humans” and “Pleasure not Duty.”) Prince takes his responsibilities seriously, but as things begin to go awry in the Hunter family, they threaten to overwhelm him. It all starts when a new couple moves into the house overlooking the park. Soon Adam is besotted with Emily, while her husband Simon seems to have played a significant part in Kate's past. Young Hal is tripping on acid with his rowdy friends, while Charlotte is having boyfriend problems and tries to end it all with an overdose. And down in the park, it's even worse: Henry the elderly Lab has disappeared; Emily's dog Falstaff wants to lead Prince astray; has Lear the Rottweiler killed Joyce the Irish Wolfhound? In the end, Prince is forced to break the Labrador Pact and take desperate action to save his Family.

The Last Family in England is funny, sad, quirky and -- incidentally -- a clever reworking of Henry IV Part II.