The Dominant Animal

Name: The Dominant Animal
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9781911547563
Price: 27.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Kathryn Scanlan

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Summary

The Dominant Animal by Kathryn Scanlan is a compelling collection of short stories that delve into the intricacies of human behaviour and everyday experiences. Each story is crafted with precision, balancing dark humour with profound observation as it explores themes of identity, control, and the tenuous connections between people. The narrative style is sparse yet impactful, prompting readers to contemplate the unseen forces that shape our lives.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$27⁹⁹

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The Dominant Animal

$27⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate succinct, vivid storytelling that delves into the intricacies of human behaviour. It's an intriguing collection reflecting on the strangeness and unpredictability of life, offering keen observations that are both unsettling and compelling.

'Shh, said the surgeon. Over my face, his gloved hand hung - you could even say it twitched. Then, with two fingertips, he pushed the lids of my eyes shut. You've seen this move before - some man, overcome with shame, unable, for selfish reasons, to look at what he's done.'

Description

Anonymous people in anonymous towns; mothers screaming inside their houses, unapologetic doctors, mournful dogs, hungry girls, grandmothers on the couch tethered in a blue spell, steaks in soft sacks of blue blood, rare breeds of show cats in big black sedans, baby rabbits beneath heavy boots; and lonesome men crouched among the thorny shrubs and the rough, wild grasses...

This is the singular vision of Kathryn Scanlan. With the economy of Lydia Davis and Grace Paley, and the unsettling verve of Mary Gaitskill and Claire-Louise Bennett, The Dominant Animal is a powerful and much-anticipated first collection.

'No mercy', says one of Scanlan's characters, and that is how it feels to encounter these stories. Morbid humour, tender horror – no comfort here, only a startling, uncompromising voice that is here to stay.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781911547563

Publisher: Daunt Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 April 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Daunt Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 256

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Kathryn Scanlan

About the Author

Kathryn Scanlan lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in NOON, Granta and Fence, and is forthcoming in The Paris Review. She's received fellowships from the Vermont Studio Centre and the Tin House Summer Workshop, and her story 'The Old Mill' was selected by Michael Cunningham for the 2010 Iowa Review Fiction Prize. She has degrees in painting, writing, and English from the University of Iowa and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her debut novel, AUG 9-FOG, a literary adaptation of a found diary, was published by FSG in 2019.

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