4.3

Open Throat

By Henry Hoke

Format:Hardcover

Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, and the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction. One of the Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2023. One of The New York Times' 10 Best California Books of 2023. Longlisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award.“Open Throat is what fiction should be.” ―The New York Times Book ReviewA lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, 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 gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience.When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call “ellay.” As the lion confronts a carousel of temptations and threats, they take us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles and the toll of climate grief. 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?Henry Hoke’s Open Throat is a marvel of storytelling, a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing world recounted by a lovable mountain lion. Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a star-making novel that brings the mythic to life.

Literary & Contemporary Fiction
176 pagesHardcover
First published 2023-06-06

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Popular Reviews(1)

4.3(4 ratings)
JuliaReviewed by Julia

This is how I like my nature writing: ein Roman aus der surrealistischen Perspektive eines Pumas, der in den Hollywood Hills lebt und versucht aus Menschen schlau zu werden. Die Erzählstimme wild und einmalig, ungehört. Der Puma hört den Menschen zu und wundert sich. Dieses rohe Betrachten legt die Brutalität unserer Gesellschaft frei. Sehr anders. Sehr wunderbar. “I’ve never eaten a person but today I might” (ein perfekter erster Satz wie ich finde) „I think I’m kind of a poet Because when I finally find a deer left behind by a herd It’s leg broken and stuck in a rock Even though I know I shouldn’t Know it’ll make the meat spoil quicker I eat the heart first”

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