White Dog is a literary thriller set against the backdrop of the contemporary art world. It follows the fortunes of Ryder, a cynical art deal who aspires to the heights, yet despises the people who populate those realms.
On his way to the top, back down, and back up again, Ryder encounters a picaresque collection of characters and gets drawn into a web of intrigue that involves murder, money-laundering, and materialism. But can his new-found fame and fortune ever make up for the loss of the one thing he ever really valued in life?
White Dog will take you on a rollercoaster ride of sex, drugs, and art – of violence, blackmail, hedonism, and dark politics. Are you ready to face the wolves?
The only novel from budding author Rupert Whewell, who sadly lost his life in a tragic climbing accident in the Nanda Devi region of the Himalayas. At the time of his death, the manuscript of White Dog was left incomplete, with Rupert’s plans for the book’s ending remaining a mystery.
As a tribute to her brother and his love of words, Rupert’s sister Lisa Anson worked closely with renowned author John McDonald to complete White Dog, which allowed her to come to terms with his unexpected passing.
Lisa Anson, Rupert’s sister, says: “This book has been a long time in the making. Rupert always loved writing and talked often about his desire to write a book. Distracted by a full life and being present with his friends and family, it remained in the background, referenced, and variously started without real progress. In his late forties, he started to put pen to paper in earnest and White Dog was born. Rupert was a very special person; not just to me – as a lifelong presence – but to his many friends. His tragic death is something I will never get over and will never forget.
I have taken on the task of finishing and publishing his book, which he left 80 percent complete. It was important to me to see his story through and share his writing. It brought me closer to Rupert, and I hope it will keep his memory alive for those that knew him and will entertain others who did not.”
It's my pleasure to be opening this very special blog tour for White Dog today. Many thanks to Hannah Bright from Midas PR for inviting me to take part and for my copy of the novel.
White Dog opens with a tense scene set in Switzerland as Ryder, an art dealer attempts to sell a Picasso to Pavel, a Russian described as being 'like the cold wind off a glacier - exhilarating, but dangerous if exposed to it for too long.' As the chapter draws to a close, it appears that Ryder could be in trouble but before readers discover what happens next, we are taken back to his past.
The novel could be best described as a portrait of the art dealer as a young man; much of the plot follows Ryder's career as he progresses from being the ambitious new head of Furniture for Boulets, a prestigious, rather conservative auction house to becoming an art dealer with all the highs and lows that entails. Interestingly, for a book which is perhaps more a character study than anything else, I never really felt I knew Ryder that well but that might be the point because he doesn't really seem to know himself either.
He's not a particularly likeable character and there are moments in the book where his cynicism makes him quite unpleasant. He does behave badly at times but it never seems as if his heart is really in it. Ryder is a chameleon; he changes to suit his environment but consequently he doesn't ever quite belong anywhere. Despite not really liking him, I was intrigued by his endeavours to become part of the art scene, experiencing brief success and bitter failure in this cutthroat world.
The caustic contemporary art world is portrayed as a hedonistic, almost incestuous environment where everybody seems to know everyone else but for all their nights drinking and snorting coke together, loyalty is frequently nothing but an illusion. There are a number of recurring characters and with many of the chapters feeling like vignettes of Ryder's life, they drift in and out of the book, some playing a more significant role than others, with Seth Silver and Lola being the standout figures for me.
White Dog is described as a literary thriller but it definitely leans more towards the literary and I'm not sure I'd call it a thriller, personally. Obviously when a book is finished posthumously, it's impossible to know if the published version is exactly how the author would have wanted it, or if he would have edited it further. If I'm honest, there were times when the slower-paced plot might have benefitted from being tightened a little but nevertheless, I did find it an interesting read throughout and I was fascinated to discover what would eventually happen to Ryder.
In the introduction, Lisa Anson writes movingly of her brother's passion for words and that is felt strongly throughout the novel which delights in its wordplay and 'vocabulous' descriptions; White Dog is a fitting tribute to Rupert Whewell's memory and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.
White Dog will be published through whitefox on 18th November 2021 and can be purchased from Hive, Waterstones and Amazon.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
RUPERT WHEWELL was born in Buckinghamshire in 1969. He graduated with a degree in English Literature from Downing College, Cambridge, before working in advertising in Hong Kong and later as a recruitment consultant. He established his own firm, Bateman Gray – named after the respected protagonists of his two favourite novels – in London, specialising in placing bankers. A keen adventurer, Rupert loved hillwalking, climbing and skiing, counting skiing down Mont Blanc as one of his greatest triumphs.
With his fiftieth birthday looming, he joined a group setting out to climb peaks in the Nanda Devi area of India in May 2019. An avalanche brought about his early death in the Himalayas, together with the loss of his seven climbing companions. He is survived by his mother Elaine, brother Andrew and sister Lisa, having no children of his own.
White Dog is his first novel, published posthumously.
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