One of ELLE's Best Summer Books of 2023. Named a Most Anticipated Book by Buzzfeed, LitHub and LGBTQ Reads 2023. 'Open Throat is a blinding spotlight beam of a book that I was completely unable and unwilling to put down. I am not convinced Henry Hoke isn't a mountain lion.' - Catherine Lacey, author of Pew I've never eaten a person but today I might . . . A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by the voices around them, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their own identity. When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call 'ellay'. As they confront a carousel of temptations and threats, the lion takes us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles. But even when salvation finally seems within reach, they are forced to face down the ultimate question: do they want to eat a person, or become one? Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing world. This is a marvel of storytelling that brings the mythic to life.
Henry Hoke
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