Out on a Leash

October 1, 2003
The latest addition to actress MacLaine's New Age/autobiography oeuvre (Going Within; My Lucky Stars, etc.) is an excellent example of what can happen when a book exists because of its author's fame instead of her dedication to the craft of writing. Wandering, incoherent and self-congratulatory, MacLaine's 10th book will not earn her new fans. The book alternates between MacLaine's own voice and that of her dog, Terry, with whom the author communicates in"humanimal," which, she says, is a"purer, more direct form of language" than English. Her devotion to Terry is somewhat unnerving; she calls the pet her"heart" and her"new daughter"; later she explains"I know Terry senses my thoughts" and avers that Terry is"holy." MacLaine uses Terry's 'voice' to point out what a good actress"Mistress Mother" is, to reveal their past lives together in ancient Egypt, and to articulate the opinions that"we never die" and that"nothing is evil." In her own voice, MacLaine shares more of her belief system--an apparent combination of Nostradamus' predictions, Hopi and Mayan prophecies, Edgar Cayce's channelings, Egyptian mythology and the Bible. Along the way, we get brief glimpses of MacLaine's life that might have proved interesting if they had been developed (e.g.,"I missed a lot in my daughter's life but I did it to avoid imposing on her"), as well as her disconnected musings on nature, the Iraqi war ("I see signs that we are on the cusp of a new and devastating reality"), and dog and human sex. MacLaine's books have consistently sold well; no doubt those readers who enjoyed her previous volumes will find Terry's musings on life fascinating as well.