![]() ![]() A novel about a ‘zoanthropathic’ super-flu precipitating wholesale social breakdown, published in the panicked first months of a zooanotic global pandemic. It might be tempting to see the timing of publication as serendipitous, or portentous, depending on your perspective. Setting off on their trail, with Sue the dingo riding shotgun, they find themselves in a stark, strange world in which the animal apocalypse has only further isolated people from other species. The Animals in that Country was published in March 2020. When Jean's infected son, Lee, takes off with Kimberly, heading south, Jean feels the pull to follow her kin. But as the flu progresses, the unstoppable voices become overwhelming, and many people begin to lose their minds. This is no ordinary flu- its chief symptom is that its victims begin to understand the language of animals - first mammals, then birds and insects, too. Then one day, disturbing news arrives of a pandemic sweeping the country. ![]() And although Jean talks to all her charges, she has a particular soft spot for a young dingo called Sue. ![]() Instead, she surrounds herself with animals, working as a guide in an outback wildlife park. She's never been good at getting on with other humans, apart from her beloved granddaughter, Kimberly. Hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, and allergic to bullshit, Jean is not your usual grandma. Summary: When the animals start talking, we're not ready for what we'll learn. ![]()
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