THE DOG WHO SPOKE WITH GODS

First novelist Jessup pens an affecting but uneven paean to the pit bull in this tale of a girl and her dog. Elizabeth Fletcher, a soon-to-be medical student from a long line of heart surgeon researchers, has never had a pet, nor ever thought of dogs as anything but tools for human use, but she takes a job on campus as an animal handler and so meets a pit bull whom she later names Damien. The two bond intensely, and the dog's suffering as a research animal begins to pain her. Discovering he is actually capable of limited speech, Elizabeth determines to save him from torture, but he winds up in the clutches of Dr. Joseph Seville, who wants to capitalize on Damien's fantastic ability. At first made part of the project to keep her in line, Elizabeth is soon "locked out," so she contacts an animal rights group that botches stealing the dog and almost kills him, though he gets away and Elizabeth finds him. Cornered by Seville, the two seek escape and almost make it, but will Elizabeth pay the highest price to help her friend? Obviously fond of pit bulls, Jessup makes many good points and manages to bring Damien to compelling life. Her human characters are less interesting, though she has the dynamics of interest groups and bureaucratic universities down pat. And surely, the interpretation in human terms of another species's behavior is one of the mistakes she's trying to point out? (June)

Forecast:Jessup, a pit bull expert, has a high profile in dog-handling circles, and that is where this single-minded book will do best.