Animal People

Charlotte Wood's critically-acclaimed early novel, now published outside of Australia for the first time. On this stiflingly hot summer day, Stephen has decided it's time to break up with his girlfriend Fiona. He's 39, aimless and unfulfilled, but without a clue how to make his life better. All he has are his instincts - and they may be his downfall. As he makes his way through the pitiless city and the hours of a single day, Stephen must fend off his demanding family, endure another shift of his dead-end job at the zoo (and an excruciating workplace team-building event), face up to Fiona's aggressive ex-husband and the hysteria of a children's birthday party that goes terribly wrong. As an ordinary day develops into an existential crisis, Stephen begins to understand - perhaps too late - that love is not a trap, and only he can free himself. Hilarious, tender and heartbreaking, Animal People is a portrait of urban life, a meditation on the conflicted nature of human-animal relationships, and a masterpiece of storytelling.