A satirical novel with real emotional depth, from a debut author who will appeal to readers of Peter Carey and Tom Robbins. 'Both funny and subversive!Patrick Ness recreates the world as we know it, infusing it with a charm and whimsy that brings to mind Italo Calvino.' T.C. Boyle Welcome to the seaside metropolis of Hennington, where a mysterious herd of rhinoceros has wandered city streets for so long it's become a civic feature, where the current mayor first met her husband on a nude beach, and where Jon Noth has returned after four decades to reclaim a lost love. Unfortunately for him, that lost love is Cora Larsson, long-time mayor of Hennington, happily (and flexibly) married -- and still not interested!