b'books, movies, music & more.A REGULAR COLUMN FEATURING REVIEWS OF DOG-THEMED BOOKS, MUSIC & FILMDark clouds were looming in the distance. We watched them gather,and we wondered. When will it come? How long will it last?In the face of fear and isolation, Together is a gentle and philosophical look at theevents of 2020. At the heart of the story is the tale of friendship between and aman and his dog and all theyobserved at the beginning ofthe pandemic. Through theireyes, we see the difficulties ofbeingapartandtheroller-coasterofemotions.Thebookiselegantlypulledtogether with 53 illustrationsby Luke Adam Hawker andthe poetic text-based vignettesfrom Marianne Laidlaw.Thecombinationformsaphilosophicalreflectiononthe difficulties of that year.This book was pure sal-vation when I was busy draw-ing it throughout lockdownand its been incredible to seeso many people connect withit so strongly, says Hawker,who thanks Laidlaw for herbeautiful words and for believing in the book from day one.Whileacknowledgingandexploringthesechallengeshead-on,thebooksoverall message is the belief that well emerge as better people now that we under-stand how unity brings strength, as Hawker puts it. UIn slowing down, we woke up.to the most important things of allWhen life became smaller, we found space to see the bigger picture.TogetherIllustrations and concept by Luke Adam Hawkerwith words by Marianne Laidlaw. Published by Kyle Books 202148 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'