the animals in that country laura jean mckay

In fact, the book’s title is taken from a collection of poetry by Margaret Atwood published in 1968, one that leaned heavily on themes of environmentalism and social justice. McKay has written a searing dystopian critique of our relationship with the natural world. Most animal lovers might suppose that being able to talk to their furry companions would be a dream come true, but this book is a long way from childhood fantasies and Charlotte’s Web. Jean has no choice but to follow them in a beat-up caravan, with Sue the dingo riding shotgun to herd her pack back together.

It turns out that this flu – this “zooflu” – gives the afflicted the ability to communicate with animals - and what the animals have to say is sending them mad.Īs the story unfolds, Kimberly’s estranged (and now infected) father reappears, and abducts the child with a view to taking her down to the southern coast to communicate with migrating whales. At first, the problems seem unrelated, until the stories start to merge… There’s an outbreak of a new strain of influenza. The action starts with a spike in incidents of ‘eco-terrorism’ down south, with activists releasing animals from zoos and farms en masse. The only thing that tethers her to the routine of life is her granddaughter, Kimberly - a six year old with dreams of opening an animal park of her very own someday. Jean struggles to keep her alcoholism under control, and feels more affinity for the animals in her care than for the people who visit them. The story is told through the eyes of Jean, a no-nonsense, foul-mouthed grandmother who works in a remote wildlife park.

It’s an eerily prescient premise, right down to the conspiracy theories that proliferate on Facebook and the government ads that encourage people to “keep calm and stay indoors”. Her novel The Animals In That Country centres on the outbreak of a highly infections subtype of influenza that threatens the very fabric of society. Laura Jean McKay might be the only exception. Few authors would consider themselves lucky to be releasing a book in the midst of a global pandemic.

The animals in that country laura jean mckay