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Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
For James Herriot fans and pet lovers, a modern-day, funny-yet-poignant memoir about what it is like to be the only person in a small family not employed in the veterinary profession.
Patti Eddington should have known when she married her veterinary student boyfriend that she would spend anniversary and birthday dinners not sitting at tables at fancy restaurants but kneeling under a surgery table in a cocktail dress, desperately trying to mop up a steady stream of blood and urine with cheap paper towels. She should have guessed that every knock at the door or ring of the phone would mean her husband would be torn away from the family for hours—sometimes returning deflated, sometimes smiling. But she could never have dreamed that her beautiful, curly-haired young daughter would one day bathe and sleep with an inflatable tick (until the day it was mysteriously punctured by a salad fork) or that she would go through her marriage of forty-five years opening every freezer door with caution.
Don’t Look in the Freezer is a humorous, poignant, loving look into the sometimes strange, mostly unglamorous, life of a veterinarian’s wife. Patti’s little family is not at all like that of famous veterinarian James Herriot’s—but is still absolutely filled with compassion and love for animals and the people who adore them.
Patti Eddington should have known when she married her veterinary student boyfriend that she would spend anniversary and birthday dinners not sitting at tables at fancy restaurants but kneeling under a surgery table in a cocktail dress, desperately trying to mop up a steady stream of blood and urine with cheap paper towels. She should have guessed that every knock at the door or ring of the phone would mean her husband would be torn away from the family for hours—sometimes returning deflated, sometimes smiling. But she could never have dreamed that her beautiful, curly-haired young daughter would one day bathe and sleep with an inflatable tick (until the day it was mysteriously punctured by a salad fork) or that she would go through her marriage of forty-five years opening every freezer door with caution.
Don’t Look in the Freezer is a humorous, poignant, loving look into the sometimes strange, mostly unglamorous, life of a veterinarian’s wife. Patti’s little family is not at all like that of famous veterinarian James Herriot’s—but is still absolutely filled with compassion and love for animals and the people who adore them.
Product Details
- Publisher: She Writes Press (April 28, 2026)
- Length: 240 pages
- ISBN13: 9798896361312
Raves and Reviews
“. . . Eddington’s memoir succeeds in both style and substance . . . [she] doesn’t sentimentalize veterinary work or dwell too long on its downsides, preferring instead to capture its grit with affection and honesty.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Patti Eddington’s moving memoir about the unsung heroes who love and care for our beloved pets—the vets, their staff, and those who love and care for them—will make you laugh, cry, and hug your best friend. Beautiful, funny, and life-affirming.”—Wade Rouse, USA Today best-selling author of Thank You for Being A Friend
“This book is a healthy combination of humor, strangeness, medical insight, and compassion for animals and people alike. The stories that Eddington chronicles introduce pets that will stick in readers' minds long after the book is finished, and her own character—determined, witty, empathic—shines through each tale.”—The BookLife Prize
“. . . sparkles with wit and heart . . . an amusing and poignant read that renews belief in the goodness of humanity.”—BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick
“Threats to drop off hundreds of pigs at 3:00 a.m., a pistol-packing owner promising to shoot if his itchy pup isn’t helped, a woman demanding her dog be defrosted. Humorous and heartfelt, Patti Eddington regales readers about life as the wife of a small-town vet with pitch-perfect tone that is equal parts Hallmark and second martini.”—Bridey Thelen-Heidel, author of Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live without Them – A Memoir
“Brilliant, funny, touching, inspiring. If you love animals like I do, you will cherish this inside view into the life and times of one incredible veterinary family dedicated to loving and caring for our most precious beings. You will also definitely gift a copy—or twelve—to your pet’s veterinarian. Then you will hug and thank them.”—Karen Solt, author of Hiding for My Life: Being Gay in the Navy
“In Don’t Look in the Freezer, Eddington opens the door to the world behind the exam room. With humor and tenderness, she reveals the quiet devotion of vets and the love that flows between people and their pets. A true gem for animal lovers everywhere.”—Tracey Yokas, author of Bloodlines: A Memoir of Harm and Healing
“Warm, funny, and unexpectedly poignant, Don’t Look in the Freezer reveals the chaos of loving a veterinarian—from farm calls and exotic pets to a heroic goldfish surgery and bath-crashing chinchillas. Eddington blends humor and reflection into a moving portrait of marriage, resilience, and compassion built on a shared purpose.”—Linda K. Sienkiewicz, author of Love and Other Incurable Ailments
“A remarkable odyssey of a veterinarian and his bride, Don’t Look in the Freezer recounts the giggles and griefs in bringing a viable clinic to life. Eddington has penned a blue-ribbon memoir with nuanced prose and perfect doses of levity for animal enthusiasts and anyone appreciating bare-knuckled storytelling and a lyrical voice.”—Chad Broughman, author of The Fall of Bellwether
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