“Things in this creation feel a little backwards right now, so you can call me ‘Dog,’” declares the Rottweiler who narrates Frisk’s hefty, idiosyncratic debut.

That dog claims, at the novel’s start, to be nothing less than God, currently living through one of many Earthly lives as a dog. This time, that dog—eventually called Doofus—is a runt who urinates all over and is not wanted. After weeks in an abusive home, that dog is taken in by “The Babes”— a DJ and a model who say “babe” a lot. Young, artistic, and certain that “the universe would jump in and help them out without them even asking,” the Babes plan to drive to Costa Rica in their RV, with Doofus and Ruka, the blind Pit Bull who shows Doofus how to be a good guard dog. As the Babes travel often from Florida to Minnesota, trying to get on track to Costa Rica, Doofus and Ruka help each other understand canine and human lives—and struggle to help Delux, the DJ, find his real purpose.