Enter the Aardvark

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( 3,180 ratings, 673 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony is a satirical novel that intertwines the story of a young, ambitious congressman named Alexander Paine Wilson with an eccentric 19th-century taxidermist. The narrative cleverly explores themes of politics, identity, and destiny, all while highlighting the absurdity of modern life. Unexpectedly, a stuffed aardvark plays a crucial role in unraveling secrets and connections between past and present.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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're intrigued by a blend of political satire and quirky mystery. The story intertwines a stuffed aardvark, a rising politician, and a curious historical narrative that spans different eras, offering a unique mix of humour and dark commentary.

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Enter the Aardvark

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Refreshing, different, highly inventive, witty, and moving, Enter the Aardvark is an absolute original. A budding politician's career is put in jeopardy when he receives a large stuffed aardvark in the post. Brilliant and funny, it's a biting satire about politics, love, and taxidermy for fans of Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, and Joshua Ferris.

Discover the rip-roaringly funny satirical novel about a stuffed aardvark who threatens to derail a Republican Congressman's political career...

'It's a long time since I have enjoyed a novel so much. Fresh, witty, and smart it also has heart' - Kate Atkinson

'An ingenious political satire...deliciously astute, fresh, and terminally funny' - Guardian

'What begins as a topical takedown of the American political system deepens into a hugely enjoyable romp through history' - Observer


We all know politics is absurd. But could a scheming politician be brought down by a stuffed aardvark?

Republican congressman Alexander Paine Wilson is determined that nothing will stop him in his campaign for re-election. Not the fact that he is a bachelor, not the fact that his main adversary, Nancy Beaversβ€”married, with childrenβ€”is rising in the polls. Nothing.

That is, until one hot day in August, he receives a large parcel via FedEx. Inside is a gigantic taxidermy aardvark.

This aardvark has a surprising historyβ€”from the Victorian naturalist who discovered it to the taxidermist who deemed it his finest creation.

But for Wilson, the entrance of the aardvark sets off a chain of events that threaten to ruin his entire career.

Constantly surprising, brilliantly comic, and piquantly provocative, Enter the Aardvark is a tale for our times, a biting satire with a tender underbelly.


'So perfect and funny that you read it over and over, laugh every time...Completely insane but utterly hilarious' - John Boyne

'Inventive and darkly funny' - Time

'Fresh, astute and mouthwateringly sharp, this is a rare thing; a political satire that tugs on the heartstrings in unconventional ways' - Irish Times

'Spry, slim, clever...the inventiveness is impressive and the story has heart' - The Sunday Times

'The most fizzing and amusing novel of the year' - Strong Words magazine

'Sharp, inventive and very funny, it's an entertainingly bizarre political satire' - TATLER

'Weird, wonderful, and very much of the moment, Enter the Aardvark is a landmark political novel of the Trump era...With heart and humor, Anthony expertly skewers our current political climate' - Esquire

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Enter the Aardvark has received widespread acclaim for its inventive and satirical take on political themes, combining witty humour with a touch of heart. Critics praise it as a sharp, clever, and riotously entertaining political satire that creatively intertwines modern and historical narratives. Many reviewers find the novel's unique plot, bold storytelling, and insightful commentary on power and politics both compelling and emotionally engaging.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784165185

Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 March 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Black Swan

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 140g

Pages: 192

About the Author

Jessica Anthony is the author of The Convalescent, Chopsticks, and Enter the Aardvark. Anthony's novels have been published in over a dozen countries, and are featured in Time, Newsweek, Esquire, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times Book Review as an Editors' Choice. She is the recipient of the Creative Capital Award in Literature and has been awarded fellowships from the Bogliasco Foundation and the Bridge Guard Foundation. She lives in Maine, USA.

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