Either McKay was ahead of the zeitgeist when she wrote this, or we just live in the dystopia now. The premise: a pandemic sweeps the nation from the south giving those effected the ability to communicate with animals.

As a protagonist, Jean is unfailingly human. She is deeply flawed, an alcoholic, chain-smoking, tattooed Granny who has a habit of sleeping with some very wrong men. She just barely holds it together for her granddaughter, Kimberly. When the pandemic reaches their remote animal sanctuary in what I imagined to be Far North Queensland, Jean has some very tough decisions to make.

This one is a wild and bonkers ride, with disjointed snatches of animal chat breaking the prose. The narrative is bizarre and thought-provoking. Perfectly marketed as literary speculative fiction, this is an intelligent, entertaining (and somewhat horrifying) read for fans of Charlotte Wood and Claire G Coleman.

Thanks to Scribe for an advance copy in exchange for review.