“People seem able to love their dogs with an unabashed acceptance that they rarely demonstrate with family or friends. The dogs do not disappoint them, or if they do, the owners manage to forget about it quickly. I want to learn to love people like this, the way I love my dog, with pride and enthusiasm and a complete amnesia for faults. In short, to love others the way my dog loves me.”

American author

Ann Patchett is an American author. She is known for her novels, including Bel Canto, for which she received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2002. Her other novels include The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician's Assistant, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, The Dutch House, and Tom Lake. Her work has earned major recognition, and The Dutch House was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.