The Animals: A Novel
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Amazon and the San Francisco Chronicle
Longlisted for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere (Foreign Authors)
“[A] galloping great read... [a] genuine work of art.” —Porter Shreve, San Francisco Chronicle, front-page review
Bill Reed manages a wildlife sanctuary in rural Idaho, caring for injured animals unable to survive in the wild —raptors, a wolf, and his beloved bear, Majer, among them. He hopes to marry the local vet and live out a quiet life, until a childhood friend is released from prison and threatens to reveal Bill’s darkest secrets. Suddenly forced to confront his criminal past, Bill battles fiercely to preserve both the shelter and his hard-won new identity. Alternating between the past and the present, The Animals builds powerfully toward the revelation of Bill’s defining betrayal—and the drastic lengths he’ll go to in order to escape the consequences.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kiefer, author of The Infinite Tides, returns with a mesmerizing literary thriller about Bill Reed, a lost soul who winds up in a remote corner of Idaho, operating a wildlife sanctuary filled with animals who cannot take care of themselves after suffering at the hands of humans. The book opens in 1996, introducing us to Reed and some of his creatures, including a gentle giant of a bear named Majer. Reed lives quietly: he cares for his animals and courts local veterinarian Grace. But Reed's past in Reno, Nev., comes back with his friend Rick, who shows up in Idaho, just released from a long stretch in prison. Rick has come to avenge the aftermath of a crime that involved the two of them. Reed's job at the refuge is a form of penance, but there's a thrilling story line that builds in momentum to an inevitable denouement, paced by prose that's poetic without ever succumbing to preciousness. This is a compelling, thoughtful novel.
