Everything Will Swallow You by Tom Cox

It took a chapter for me to fully connect with the story. It is an unusual one with a couple who both talk and have a variety of interests, but one looks like a dog. They live in a white cottage in Devon, but the story travels around the country looking at their personal history and there are details of many locations showing accurate features of places, such as Lyme Regis, Nottingham, Liverpool and Cornwall to mention a few. 

The main character is an ex guitarist and has an interest in music. He had a record shop at one point and talks a lot about music of all different styles. Other arts and trends are discussed, for example literature, fine arts and television, with a rather large critique about reality television and modern-day interests being superficial. 

Along their travels the couple meet a whole host of people who all become friends. Some of them are a quirky as the central pair of characters with very odd habits, like feeding earwax to their cat. 

The writing is beautiful and stylish and just right for a tale such as this. There are many phrases that I re-read so I could fully absorb the craft of the expression. A true literary talent. This is a book about time and place, the beauty of the surroundings and living in the present. But mostly this is about friendship and acceptance. An original read.