Open Throat is a magnificent story that deserves every ounce of praise it's receiving. Narrated by a hungry, lonely queer mountain lion, we follow their journey through LA from protecting a homeless encampment to fleeing wildfires.

This book doesn't shy away from huge topics. The climate crisis, the inequalities of LA (and the wider world) and what it means to be human. Our narrator understands the world around them, they long for a way to express their language and a part of them is struggling with the conflict of whether they eat a person or want to become one.

I read this thing in nearly one sitting. Our narrator's voice is funny and perceptive, with their misspellings of words (like ellay as opposed to LA) making it all the more humorous. There's a perfect tension between the seriousness of the plot and the observations of our wonderful narrator.

Hoke is a powerhouse and this magnificent story cements that. While the novel itself may be short, this is one that will stick with you for a long time. Queer, haunting, insightful - I think this one is perfect for any reader.

Open Throat will be released July 27th, so get your pre-orders in and prepare yourself for this fantastic original novel that will blast your expectations out of the park.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Picador for providing an e-ARC in return for an honest review.