Open throat

£14.99

A mountain lion is on the brink of starvation in the urban landscape of Los Angeles. As it observes the city’s perilous beauty and confronts climate change, inequality and love, the animal asks itself: Does it want to eat a human, or become one?

Out of stock

Description

A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion narrates this fever dream of a novel, carrying us on a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing modern day L.A.

‘A slim jewel of a novel . . . Open Throat is what fiction should be.’ – The New York Times Book Review
‘A blinding spotlight beam of a book that I was completely unable and unwilling to put down.’ – Catherine Lacey, author of Pew
Named a Most Anticipated Book by The New York Times, ELLE, Vanity Fair, Buzzfeed, i-D, Boston Globe, Nylon, Alta, Shondaland, Chicago Review of Books, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Literary Hub.

I’ve never eaten a person but today I might . . .

A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Fascinated by the voices around them, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their own identity.

When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call ‘ellay’. As they confront a carousel of temptations and threats, the lion takes us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles. But even when salvation finally seems within reach, they are forced to face down the ultimate question: do they want to eat a person, or become one?

Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Henry Hoke’s debut novel Open Throat is a marvel of storytelling that brings the mythic to life.

Additional information

Weight 0.29 kg
Dimensions 22.5 × 14.4 × 2.2 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

176

Language

English

Edition

Hardback original

Dewey

813.6 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K