Laura Jean McKay is the author of The Animals in That Country (Scribe, 2020) -- winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Victorian Prize for Literature, and the ABIA Small Publishers Adult Book of the Year, and co-winner of the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Laura is also the author of Holiday in Cambodia (Black Inc., 2013). She was awarded the NZSA Waitangi Day Literary Honours in 2022.
"A wildly inventive dystopian adventure...Both a hell of a ride and
a revealing thought experiment about our place in the natural
world."
--Dan Kois, Slate, "The 10 Best Books of 2020" "As we grapple with
a worldwide pandemic, Australian author McKay's novel is incredibly
timely and feels all the more real for it...filled with humor,
optimism, and grace: a wild ride worth taking. An eye-opening
glimpse into a world that's turned upside down and eventually
becomes its own version of whole."
--Booklist "Part pandemic novel and part beast fable, McKay's
novel, which takes its title from a Margaret Atwood poem, imagines
a disease that causes humans to understand animal language, down to
the lowliest insect."
--Publishers Weekly "Disturbingly timely, The Animals In That
Country chronicles the journey of one no-bullshit woman and her
half-wild dingo as they race against a deadly pandemic. Jean is
brilliantly crafted--unapologetically rough and yet filled with
hidden vulnerability. McKay's tale pulled me in with its
entertaining nature then dragged me under with its profound
nuance."
--Laura Graveline, bookseller, Brazos Bookstore "[S]hit!! I'm like
70 pages in and just having the time of my life, everything about
it is just chef's kiss for me right now. (Love a good asshole
narrator! And the descriptions...She's such a good writer it's
blowing my mind)."
--Jacob Rogers, bookseller, McNally Jackson Books "This is a
game-changing, life-changing novel, the kind that comes along right
when you need it, and compels you to listen to its terrifying
poetry. Compulsively readable and yet also pushing the boundaries
of what is possible in terms of language and narrative, this is a
brilliant and disturbing book that will make you rethink everything
you thought you understood about non-human animal sentience and
agency. I don't think any reader can ever forget a voice like Sue
the dingo's--wise and obscene in equal measure. A triumph."
--Ceridwen Dovey, author of Only The Animals "A gritty and
innovative wonder about an animal-borne virus (yep) that cracks
opens channels between interspecies communication. The result is a
raucous fever dream of a road story, evocative of Kenneth Cook,
Hunter S. Thompson, and Ceridwen Dovey - but ultimately, McKay
defies comparison."
--Josephine Rowe "A timely dystopian novel in which a dangerous flu
sweeps across Australia, giving those infected the power to speak
with animals, with dark, disturbing results."
--Maxine Beneba Clarke "Surprising and surprisingly-convincing
characters, and a well-realized, inventive premise."
--Kate Evans, ABC News "[A] compelling and haunting
debut...Scattered with dark humor and driven by a compelling plot,
The Animals in That Country is an outstanding and timely
examination of human morality. It will change the way you view both
animals and the world."
--Chloë Cooper, Audrey Magazine "The genius stroke of The Animals
in That Country is the preternatural 'body talk' of its
animals...an affecting book, one that gets remarkably close to the
unknowable wildness of animal sentience."
--Jack Callil, The Age "A standout debut novel of 2020...Original,
hugely entertaining and superbly crafted, this is one heck of a
road-trip novel, whose timing and insights into human behavior in a
crisis could not be more prescient."
--Alison Huber, Readings Booksellers "This is an absorbing and
affecting book, and one to which I'm able to pay the highest
compliment: that, in the days after finishing it, the world felt
different to me, its animals not speaking but not silent
either."
--Ben Brooker, Australian Book Review "Engrossing, subversive, and
surprisingly profound, The Animals in That Country does something
only the best fiction can do: it has the power to skew the reader's
perspective on the world. This story will stay with me for a long
time, and its protagonist, Jean Bennett, will be with me even
longer."
--J.P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie "In this warm, wild, and
irreverent debut, Laura Jean McKay takes us into the minds of
animals to reveal the complexity of their lives. The Animals in
That Country avoids the trap of anthropomorphism, showing instead
the absurd, intense, and shifting bonds between humans and
animals."
--Mireille Juchau, author of The World Without Us "Weird, wonderful
and strangely moving. I will be thinking about this strange book,
about Jean and Sue, for a long long time."
--Eloise Grills, author of Big Beautiful Female Theory "Deliriously
strange, blackly hilarious, and completely exhilarating, The
Animals in That Country is a wonderful debut from a genuinely
original and exciting new voice."
--James Bradley, author of Clade "McKay is a master of voice-driven
narrative. I never thought a substance-abusing grandmother was just
who I needed to take me on an apocalyptic road trip--and that long
after I gulped the book down, I'd be haunted by the words of a
dingo called Sue."
--Sofija Stefanovic, author of Miss Ex-Yugoslavia "The beauty of
this book is that it never quite goes where the reader expects it
to go. McKay zigs when the reader expects her to zag. And the whole
builds to a kind of slow-moving climax...The Animals in That
Country takes an intriguing premise and absolutely runs with it.
While delivering one of the strangest road trips ever, McKay
considers the nature of family, the human response to the unknown
and our relationship with the animals kingdom, among other
things."
--Robert Goodman, The Blurb "McKay has written a searing dystopian
critique of our relationship with the natural world...Through
poetic projections of what the animals might say if they could,
McKay highlights our limited capacity to communicate with language,
and our human-centric view of the natural order...Earthy, visceral,
at-times obscene and all-too-real, The Animals In That Country is
nevertheless compelling and oddly buoying...McKay is a masterful
storyteller, and her talent truly shines in this quest for family
and belonging."
--Sheree Strange, Primer
"This is a game-changing, life-changing novel, the kind that comes
along right when you need it, and compels you to listen to its
terrifying poetry. Compulsively readable and yet also pushing the
boundaries of what is possible in terms of language and narrative,
this is a brilliant and disturbing book that will make you rethink
everything you thought you understood about non-human animal
sentience and agency. I don't think any reader can ever forget a
voice like Sue the dingo's--wise and obscene in equal measure. A
triumph."
--Ceridwen Dovey, author of Only The Animals "In this warm, wild,
and irreverent debut, Laura Jean McKay takes us into the minds of
animals to reveal the complexity of their lives. The Animals in
That Country avoids the trap of anthropomorphism, showing instead
the absurd, intense, and shifting bonds between humans and
animals."
--Mireille Juchau, author of The World Without Us "Engrossing,
subversive, and surprisingly profound, The Animals in That Country
does something only the best fiction can do: it has the power to
skew the reader's perspective on the world. This story will stay
with me for a long time, and its protagonist, Jean Bennett, will be
with me even longer."
--J.P. Pomare, author of Call Me Evie "Weird, wonderful and
strangely moving. I will be thinking about this strange book, about
Jean and Sue, for a long long time."
--Eloise Grills, author of Big Beautiful Female Theory "McKay is a
master of voice-driven narrative. I never thought a
substance-abusing grandmother was just who I needed to take me on
an apocalyptic road trip--and that long after I gulped the book
down, I'd be haunted by the words of a dingo called Sue."
--Sofija Stefanovic, author of Miss Ex-Yugoslavia "Deliriously
strange, blackly hilarious, and completely exhilarating, The
Animals in That Country is a wonderful debut from a genuinely
original and exciting new voice."
--James Bradley, author of Clade "A timely dystopian novel in which
a dangerous flu sweeps across Australia, giving those infected the
power to speak with animals, with dark, disturbing results"
--Maxine Beneba Clarke "An imaginative tour de force--assured,
compelling, and utterly original, this book will change how you see
the world. Laura Jean McKay's powers are in full evidence here: her
singular gift for empathy, enviable storytelling chops, and deftly
elegant language will shift your frame of reference and leave you
altered, in the best of ways. A unique and important work that
explores the bond between humans and animals--and indeed throws the
whole dividing line between us into doubt."
--Meg Mundell, author of The Trespassers "Part pandemic novel and
part beast fable, McKay's novel, which takes its title from a
Margaret Atwood poem, imagines a disease that causes humans to
understand animal language, down to the lowliest insect. Acerbic
wildlife guide Jean and a dingo named Sue set off through the
Australian Outback in pursuit of the former's son, who has
absconded south after losing his mind, like so many others, due to
the new voices that now seemingly occupy every space."
--Publishers Weekly, "Going Viral: New Science Fiction and Fantasy
2020" "As we grapple with a worldwide pandemic, Australian author
McKay's novel is incredibly timely and feels all the more real for
it... filled with humor, optimism, and grace: a wild ride worth
taking. An eye-opening glimpse into a world that's turned upside
down and eventually becomes its own version of whole."
--Carol Gladstein, Booklist "A wildly inventive dystopian
adventure... Both a hell of a ride and a revealing thought
experiment about our place in the natural world."
--Dan Kois, Slate "McKay does not offer us anthropomorphized
cartoons, but a vocabulary formed by scent and breath... As the
novel progresses, and more animals are introduced, it becomes
impossible not to believe in McKay's creative choices. In the
arrangement and the rhythms and the personalities of each animal
she translates, it is obvious McKay withheld nothing... McKay has
not written a white lie about how lovely it would be to speak with
a dog. Instead, she has asked that necessary, and uncomfortable
question: Do we really want to know what the rest of the planet
thinks of us?"
--Necessary Fiction "Disturbingly timely, The Animals In That
Country chronicles the journey of one no-bullshit woman and her
half-wild dingo as they race against a deadly pandemic. Jean is
brilliantly crafted--unapologetically rough and yet filled with
hidden vulnerability. McKay's tale pulled me in with its
entertaining nature then dragged me under with its profound
nuance."
--Laura Graveline, Brazos Bookstore "The beauty of this book is
that it never quite goes where the reader expects it to go. McKay
zigs when the reader expects her to zag. And the whole builds to a
kind of slow-moving climax... The Animals in That Country takes an
intriguing premise and absolutely runs with it. While delivering
one of the strangest road trips ever, McKay considers the nature of
family, the human response to the unknown and our relationship with
the animals kingdom, among other things."
--Robert Goodman, The Blurb "McKay has written a searing dystopian
critique of our relationship with the natural world... Through
poetic projections of what the animals might say if they could,
McKay highlights our limited capacity to communicate with language,
and our human-centric view of the natural order... Earthy,
visceral, at-times obscene and all-too-real, The Animals In That
Country is nevertheless compelling and oddly buoying... McKay is a
masterful storyteller, and her talent truly shines in this quest
for family and belonging."
--Sheree Strange, Primer "The genius stroke of The Animals in That
Country is the preternatural 'body talk' of its animals... an
affecting book, one that gets remarkably close to the unknowable
wildness of animal sentience."
--Jack Callil, The Age "The writing is vibrant, energetic and
refreshing, and the narrative leaps off the page...a wild, engaging
ride for readers."
--Karen Viggers, The Australian "Laura Jean McKay, an expert in
animal communication, has her animals speaking in hallucinogenic
haikus--it's disturbing but compelling, and somehow totally
believable. I loved every bizarre, unexpected moment."
--Corinna Hente, Herald Sun "Surprising and surprisingly-convincing
characters, and a well-realized, inventive premise"
--Kate Evans, ABC News "This is an absorbing and affecting book,
and one to which I'm able to pay the highest compliment: that, in
the days after finishing it, the world felt different to me, its
animals not speaking but not silent either."
--Ben Brooker, Australian Book Review "You know when you finish a
book and you know that book will occupy your mind for a long time?
The Animals in That Country is one of those. I haven't read a book
like it and I don't think I will again... The speech is almost
poetic, full of metaphors and stunted syntax that (initially)
confounds those hearing it... This book is simultaneously
laugh-out-loud funny and soul-crushingly depressing, in a way I can
only describe as reminiscent of Waiting for Godot." FIVE STARS
--Max Lewis, Good Reading "McKay is a master at building tension
through sparse, abrupt language that mirrors Jean's decades of
alcohol abuse, and the excellent world-building is enhanced by the
exquisite chemistry between Jean and her canine companion Sue.
Visceral and discombobulating yet tender, The Animals in That
Country will appeal to readers who enjoyed the animal-led stories
in Ceridwen Dovey's Only the Animals, and the foreboding road trip
in Romy Ash's Floundering."
--Books+Publishing "If you read The Animals in That Country, it
will be the wildest ride you take all year."
--Maria Takolander, The Saturday Paper "Bold, exhilarating, and
wholly original, Laura Jean McKay's The Animals in That Country
asks what would happen, for better or worse, if we finally
understood what animals were saying."
--Arts Review "A wild and original ride of a read."
--New Idea "Wow! The Animals in That Country is refreshingly
original and totally bonkers, and I read it at a furious pace. Jean
Bennett is one of the most memorable characters I've read in a long
time. I loved her brass and her messiness, and when the end of
times comes, most of us will be lucky to have half her loyalty and
determination. The story is hugely imaginative and fully realized,
with McKay in total control of her creative vision. She explores
the potential of human/nonhuman communication, and the result is as
poetic as it is surprising. A great debut novel."
--Alison Huber, Book Division Manager, Readings bookstore "This
novel is one wild ride, from beginning to end. I loved Jean's
character--middle-aged, flawed, and foul-mouthed--desperately
trying to keep herself together and to hold on to the family she
has left. Sue the dingo is a glorious character, full of wild
instinct yet all-knowing about the humans she encounters. This is
one of the most unique, quirky stories I've read in a long time and
a telling insight into how we see and relate to native wildlife.
Laura Jean McKay's is a fresh, innovative voice with a story that
grabs you by the muzzle, leading you on an apocalyptic trip that
you won't forget easily."
--Jenny Barry, Booksplus "This book drips with angst and
excitement... a truly original story teeming with intrigue."
--Suzie Bull, Farrells Bookshop "Reminiscent of Ceridwen Dovey's
Only the Animals, McKay offers an exciting and necessary new voice
in Australian fiction. We've all wished we could talk to animals,
but McKay teaches us that we really should be careful what we wish
for. By turns bizarre and profound, this is a striking debut."
--Jaclyn Crupi, Hill of Content bookstore "An incredible
achievement in storytelling, and absolutely worth your time... one
of the best Australian novels of the year."
--Nicholas Wasiliev, Booktopia "Eerily prescient...The Animals in
That Country offers a timely take on the fraught ways animals
feature in our lives, and how devastating it would be if we heard
what they had to say." FIVE STARS
--Erin Stewart, ArtsHub "This is a work of not only remarkable
linguistic skill but also one that brilliantly captures our
relationship with the inhabitants of this wild world." FOUR
STARS
--Mitchell Jordan, The Big Issue "A standout debut novel of 2020...
Original, hugely entertaining and superbly crafted, this is one
heck of a road-trip novel, whose timing and insights into human
behavior in a crisis could not be more prescient."
--Alison Huber, Readings Booksellers "Strikingly original... it's a
tale that is at turns bizarre and surprisingly affecting, populated
by a cast of richly idiosyncratic characters and posing timely
questions about the ways we relate both to animals and to each
other."
--Gemma Nisbet, The Weekend West "This is a beguiling,
thought-provoking story penned with passion, intricate animals
knowledge and great creativity... Disturbing, challenging and
addictive, the book prompts you to wonder about what animals are
really thinking."
--Sue Wallace, The Weekly Times
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