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Book Reviewed by:For fans of Denis Johnson and Peter Matthiessen, a literary thriller from one of the most exciting new voices in American fiction.
Bill Reed manages a wildlife sanctuary in rural Idaho, caring for injured animals - raptors, a wolf, and his beloved bear, Majer, among them - that are unable to survive in the wild. Seemingly rid of his troubled past, Bill hopes to marry the local veterinarian and live a quiet life together, the promise of which is threatened when a childhood friend is released from prison. Suddenly forced to confront the secrets of his criminal youth, Bill battles fiercely to preserve the shelter that protects these wounded animals and to keep hidden his turbulent, even dangerous, history. Alternating between past and present, Christian Kiefer contrasts the wreckage of Bill's crime-ridden years in Reno, Nevada, with the elusive promise of a peaceful future. In finely sculpted prose imaginatively at odds with the harsh, volatile world Kiefer evokes, The Animals builds powerfully toward the revelation of Bill's defining betrayal - and the drastic lengths Bill goes to in order to escape the consequences.
Ultimately, this is a story about the decisions we make and the inevitable consequences they set in motion for ourselves and others. It is also about the ironic distance between wildness and civilization. Human society is not portrayed very positively here: it is all bars, casinos, and brutal fights. By contrast, the refuge is a place of peace and regeneration. How close are humans to animals? And, more metaphorically, who are the real 'animals' of this novel? Judging by their behavior, it is the human characters that are more beastly here...continued
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(Reviewed by Rebecca Foster).
In the acknowledgments section at the end of The Animals, Christian Kiefer reveals that the inspiration for Bill Reed's North Idaho Wildlife Rescue came partially from Animal Ark in Reno, Nevada. Opened in 1981, Animal Ark provides a haven for injured and abandoned animals that, for whatever reason, cannot be released back into the wild. Some have been hit by cars or were part of the illegal pet trade.
The operation is set on 38 acres and aims to recreate the native habitat of North American predators. Key groups of species represented at Animal Ark include:
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Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.
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Edan Lepucki, author of California
Every once in a while, a book moves me to tears with the grace of its prose, the depth and humanity of its characters, and the ferocity of its singular vision. Christian Kiefer's The Animals is such a book: a startling and beautiful novel about friendship, grief, and the urge to start over, to be blameless. I loved it.
