From the author of the Miles Franklin Award-longlisted Echolalia comes a brilliant new novel about grief, life during lockdown, and the overwhelming love of a dog.

Why We Are Here follows the story of BB as she moves to Balboa Bay, a glittering city whose vibrant night life and beautiful beachside views are a welcome distraction from the recent deaths of her father and partner. All she wants is to party all night, walk her dog, and remember who she used to be before she lost the love of her life. But as lockdown follows her, socialising and rebuilding her life has to be put on hold, and now BB is alone, isolated, and threatened with the possibility of coming to terms with her grief and everything she has lost.

So when her neighbour mistakes her for a dog trainer, BB is suddenly caught up in the dramas of taming a Dalmatian with murderous tendencies, and she turns to the advice of dog-whisperer Cesar Millan for help. Soon, every wealthy, oblivious dog-owner in Balboa Bay is calling for her help, and BB feels she is given a new purpose in life.

With universally recognised pains such as grief, death, and the hardships that lockdowns around the world caused, it is easy to wonder, why are we here? Is there enough good in humanity to outweigh the bad? But Doyle doesn’t ask these questions. She instead chooses to only answer with the light and love that life still has to offer despite how lost we become in the dark: the friends we meet, the new sparks of love we feel in our hearts, or the great privilege it is to have felt a dog’s love. These are the reasons why we are here, and every small joy can give us the greatest sense of fulfilment and meaning.