Author Description

<p><b>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.</b><br><br><b>'A slim jewel of a novel . . . <i>Open Throat </i>is what fiction should be.' - <i>The New York Times Book Review</i></b><br><b>'A blinding spotlight beam of a book that I was completely unable and unwilling to put down.' - Catherine Lacey, author of <i>Pew</i><br>Named a Most Anticipated Book by <i>The New York Times</i>, <i>ELLE</i>, <i>Vanity Fair</i>, <i>Buzzfeed</i>, <i>i-D</i>, <i>Boston Globe</i>, <i>Nylon</i>, <i>Alta</i>, <i>Shondaland</i>, <i>Chicago Review of Books</i>, <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i>, and Literary Hub.</b><br><br><i>I’ve never eaten a person but today I might . . .</i><br><br>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.<br><br>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?<br><br>Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Henry Hoke's debut novel <i>Open Throat </i>is a marvel of storytelling that brings the mythic to life.</p>