Size: A pandemic rips through Australia and those effected have the ability to understand animals. This wholly original novel is unique in so many ways, not least of which is its premise: there’s a flu-like pandemic raging across Australia that allows those infected to understand what animals are saying. World. Earthy, visceral, at-times obscene and all-too-real, The Animals In That Country is nevertheless compelling and oddly buoying. The novel becomes both a stirring attempt to inhabit other consciousnesses and a wry demonstration of the limits of our own language and empathy. She's never been good at getting on with other humans, apart from her beloved granddaughter, Kimberly. To this emerging body of work we can now add Laura Jean McKay’s début novel, The Animals in That Country. Laura Jean McKay (photograph via Scribe Publications) Its unconventional narrator is not, in fact, an animal, but a human: grandmother Jean Bennett, a tough-as-nails, possibly alcoholic guide in an outback wildlife park. Has North American culture lost its connection to the spiritual world? A lot happens on Jean’s journey across the country and at times, for me the story was too much driven by the plot. People start liberating animals from zoos, sanctuaries, and farms and the whole continent is a madhouse. Only she has no idea what she's in for and she's in for one hell of a messed up journey. Earthy, visceral, at-times obscene and all-too-real, The Animals In That Country is nevertheless compelling and oddly buoying. ‘They’re still going on about that superflu on the radio.’, - thanks to @scribepub and @booksontherails for the opportunity to read this book, Laura Jean McKay has a PhD in literary animal studies from the University of Melbourne and serves as an animal expert and presenter on Australia’s ABC radio show. The animals in that country. The animals do not talk, like in fairy tales or fables, but their thoughts and feelings are expressed through their whole body which people can understand through the ‘Zooflu’ infection. Role reversal and new beginnings are recurrent themes in her novels, all of them centred on women seeking their relationship to the world and the individuals around them.…. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Laura Jean McKay is the author of Holiday in Cambodia (Black Inc. 2013), shortlisted for three national book awards in Australia. When he takes off with Kimberly, heading south, Jean feels the pull to follow her kin. Of course, of course. While delivering one of the strangest road trips ever, McKay considers the nature of family, the human response to the unknown and our relationship with the animals kingdom, among other things.’, ‘McKay has written a searing dystopian critique of our relationship with the natural world … Through poetic projections of what the animals might say if they could, McKay highlights our limited capacity to communicate with language, and our human-centric view of the natural order … Earthy, visceral, at-times obscene and all-too-real, The Animals In That Country is nevertheless compelling and oddly buoying … McKay is a masterful storyteller, and her talent truly shines in this quest for family and belonging.’, ‘As we grapple with a worldwide pandemic, Australian author McKay’s novel is incredibly timely and feels all the more real for it … filled with humour, optimism, and grace: a wild ride worth taking. 'This is a game-changing, life-changing novel, the kind that comes along right when you need it, and compels you to listen to its terrifying poetry. When narrator, Jean, who works with animals at a sanctuary, hears of “zooflu”, it intrigues her. Key facts about the Victorian Premier literary awards. People start liberating animals from zoos, sanctuaries, and farms and the whole continent is a madhouse. Surely we love our pets and if they could talk to us they would finally tell us how much they love us too. window.ExpressoStore = window.ExpressoStore || {}; I don't know where you'd get more plausible talking animals. We publish books that matter — narrative and literary nonfiction on important topics, and the best of local, international, and translated fiction. A strange book, very creative and must have caused headaches for the author and her editors. Laura Jean McKay is the author of The Animals in That Country (Scribe 2020), winner of The Victorian Prize for Literature 2021, The Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction 2021 and shortlisted for The Readings Prize. Goodreads Picks for Tournament of Books 2021, Readers' Most Anticipated Books of February. Bold, exhilarating, and wholly original, The Animals in That Country asks what would happen, for better or worse, if we finally understood what animals were saying. The Animals in That Country is a 1968 poetry collection written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. ‘ The animals in that country’ by Margaret Atwood details a world in which animals are judged to have the same worth as human beings. Unique and mildly terrifying - do we really want to know what the animals are saying? The poem begins with the speaker stating that there is a place, a “country,” in which animals have human faces. It will change the way you view both animals and the world.’, ‘Part pandemic novel and part beast fable, McKay’s novel, which takes its title from a Margaret Atwood poem, imagines a disease that causes humans to understand animal language, down to the lowliest insect. Bold, exhilarating, and wholly original, The Animals in That Country asks what would happen, for better or worse, if we finally understood what animals were saying. Join Laura Jean McKay at Adelaide Writers’ Week. script.type = "text/javascript"; script.defer = true; Millions of pet cats are estimated to kill billions of animals a year but grain-free food can change cat behaviour Published: 11:00 AM . In that country the animals have the faces of people: the ceremonial cats possessing the streets. In fact, 33 countries list national birds. However, it took a long time to get into the story and the ending seemed quite abrupt. The ideas that the story is based on are really interesting, but because so much happens in this story the plot just seemed a bit much at times. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In ‘The Animals in That Country’ by Laura Jean McKay a flu pandemic that causes those infected to communicate with animals spreads across Australia. The Animals in That Country (Scribe 2020) by Laura Jean McKay is certainly one of the most unusual literary novels you’ll ever read. She's gutsy, raw, degenerate, and believable … [A] wild, engaging ride.’, ‘This is a game-changing, life-changing novel, the kind that comes along right when you need it, and compels you to listen to its terrifying poetry. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. This was.... an odd ride. We’d love your help. Rights affecting non-human animals vary greatly by country or jurisdiction — encompassing everything from the legal recognition of non-human animal sentience to the absolute lack of any anti-cruelty laws with no regard for animal welfare.. Laura is a lecturer in creative writing at Massey University, with a PhD from the University of Melbourne focusing on literary animal studies. Visceral and discombobulating yet tender, The Animals in That Country will appeal to readers who enjoyed the animal-led stories in Ceridwen Dovey’s Only the Animals, and the foreboding road trip in Romy Ash’s Floundering.’, ‘You know when you finish a book and you know that book will occupy your mind for a long time? have the faces of people: the ceremonial. McKay’s novel The Animals in that Country won Australia’s richest literary award, the Victorian Prize for Literature of $ 100,000, as well as the $ 25,000 Fiction Prize, announced as part of an online ceremony Monday night. Laura Jean McKay nails it – of COURSE this is how animal communication would translate to human language. It is the second work of fiction from Laura Jean McKay, following her acclaimed short-story collection, Holiday in Cambodia (2013). the fox run politely to earth, the huntsmen standing around him, fixed in their tapestry of manners. People aren't sure if they're hallucinating or conversing with animals but the whole country has gone mad. The Animals in That Country is a 1968 poetry collection written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The Animals in That Country avoids the trap of anthropomorphism, showing instead the absurd, intense, and shifting bonds between humans and animals.’. } the fox run. She wants to talk to her dingoes. document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0].appendChild(script); And although Jean talks to all her charges, she has a particular soft spot for a young dingo called Sue. cats possessing the streets. Mireille Juchau author of The World Without Us 'Deliriously strange, blackly hilarious, and completely exhilarating, The Animals in That Country is a wonderful debut from a genuinely original and exciting new voice.' Jean is brilliantly crafted — unapologetically rough and yet filled with hidden vulnerability. script.src = "https://scribepublications.com.au/themes/user/store/store.js?v=4.2.1"; As the pandemic creeps up from the southern states, the chief symptom is the most critical: infected people begin to understand the language of animals, first mammals, and then, as the disease progresses, birds, reptiles and even insects. Read 13 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Perth Festival — Burdened Beasts: Stories About Humans.