“A magical, hilarious, and deeply human memoir of rural Spain.”
A hidden Spanish village. A shepherd’s dog with no home. A journey into a life both magical and real.
When John Sunderland, an English designer, and his American wife Kathy trade New York City’s bustle for a remote mountain village in Spain’s Costa Blanca, they discover a world where the extraordinary hides in the everyday.
A neighbor presents a giant potato as a gift of welcome. Pixies seem to decorate the streets overnight before fiesta. A shop full of groceries has nothing for sale. And Pascual, the last shepherd’s dog, reluctantly becomes their companion, leading them through winding paths and village ways.
Told through prose, poetry, and illustrations, these stories — first shared in John’s lighthearted Tàrbena Times posts on social media — are at once hilarious, moving, and full of wonder.
Blending memoir, travel writing, and a touch of magical realism, The Last Shepherd’s Dog is a celebration of hidden Spain, where traditions endure, the sun warms the terraces, and magic lingers in the simplest of things.
John is also the author of On My Way to Jorvik, his humorous memoir of becoming Project Designer of the original Jorvik Viking Centre — after first creating Dusty Bin, the iconic mascot of Yorkshire Television’s hit game show 3-2-1.
