A shaggy tale: 'that book about the dog' becomes surprise bestseller in France

He was a shaggy, 45kg Bernese mountain dog, with a thumping, wagging tail, curiosity for all things in nature and an overwhelming excitement when it was time for a walk near his home in the Alps.

- Angelique Chrisafis

But Ubac never knew, when he died aged 13, that he would become a literary star in France, the unlikely hero of a surprise bestseller that has become the publishing phenomenon of the year.

A memoir of Ubac's joyous life from chomping his evening meals to his enthusiastic mountain walks and trips in the passenger seat of his owner's van - has become France's break-out literary success of the year.

Cédric Sapin-Defour, a sports teacher and mountain enthusiast, wrote the book, Son odeur après la pluie (His smell after the rain), not just as a tribute to the love humans feel for their pets but also as a means of voicing the deep grief that can be felt after a dog's death, when all that is left is a collar and dog hairs, and the house seems too big without them.

Despite France's huge love of pets - the country has an estimated 8 million pet dogs - the publishing world did not anticipate the book's success. It was released quietly in the spring, with a print run of 4,300 copies and no advertising budget.