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The story of a modern girl who remembers, and yearns for, her previous life as a feared 17th century pirate.

High school student Saffron Adams is considered an exceptional student, but her high intelligence comes from the fact she clearly recalls her past life as 17th century pirate, Emer Morrissey. Saffron lives for the day she can graduate and leave her dysfunctional parents and drug addict brother behind her and reclaim her treasure in Jamaica.

As Saffron struggles with her family difficulties and the fact her mother pins all her hopes for success on whether or not Saffron succeeds (including when they make her go to a therapist when they think she’s not applying to colleges). As her mother talks about how Saffron has to succeed as she’s the family’s only hope,  Saffron pictures her punishing her mother a’la pirate-style. In fact, Saffron frequently images herself skinning or hurting a person who is in her way or otherwise annoying her the way she feels Emer would have handled it.

In the novel, we also see Emer’s life both pre-pirate when she was in Paris trying to survive, and as the feared pirate of the seas. She keeps remembering how her mother told her, “You can’t depend on men, Emer, your whole life. Sometimes you have to depend on yourself.” She reflects on how her mother, as well as Ireland was dead and hardens herself to the destiny before her.

The book also has a section which is Saffron remembering her years as a dog which was part of a curse that had to be completed before she could return to a human body, hence the title, The Dust of 100 Dogs. The author puts in fact about dogs and relates them to the character’s situation. There is also a section that deals with a man named Fred. Now in some of the characters, like Fred and Winston, you start to think they are the reincarnation of an earlier character we’ve met in Emer’s time, yet, in the author interview, King says, “Must reincarnation be literal?” opening up the possibilities.

The Dust of 100 Dogs  is quite entertaining as we’re never sure whether or not Saffron will turn on her family with pirate tactics or if she’ll succumb to her modern day lifestyle and become a regular person. The sections explaining Emer’s history is quite interesting as it sets up her reasons and actions in relationships throughout the book. We really get a great insight into what makes her tick and the motivation behind her actions. However, even though we’re seeing life through Saffron’s eyes we don’t necessarily get that same deep insight into her motivations. Hers seem to be mostly rooted in her past life to the point where everything about her rest on that.

The author herself was surprised this was considered a young adult novel at first and I can see why with a few graphic scenes during Emer’s life. Yet it does fit into the genre quite nicely. This is a hard novel to put down as you desperately want to see what happens to Saffron and if she achieves her goal of making it to Jamaica and what happens when she gets there. The Dust of 100 Dogs is fast-paced and smart book that you will not want to put down.

5