One of ELLE's Best Summer Books of 2023. Named a Most Anticipated Book by Buzzfeed and Literary Hub"Open Throat is a blinding spotlight beam of...

One of ELLE's Best Summer Books of 2023. Named a Most Anticipated Book by Buzzfeed and Literary Hub

"Open Throat is a blinding spotlight beam of a book that I was completely unable and unwilling to put down." --Catherine Lacey. "My favorite book of this century so far." --Andrea Lawlor. "A fantastical, deeply moving, and original adventure." --Brontez Purnell

A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.

A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity's foibles, 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 gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience.

When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call "ellay." As the lion confronts a carousel of temptations and threats, they take us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles and the toll of climate grief. 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?

Henry Hoke's Open Throat is a marvel of storytelling, a universal journey through a wondrous and menacing world recounted by a lovable mountain lion. Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a star-making novel that brings the mythic to life.

Author: Henry Hoke
Publisher: MCD
Published: 06/06/2023
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780374609870


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2023 pg. 26
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2023
Publishers Weekly 04/03/2023

About the Author
Henry Hoke is an editor at The Offing and a writer whose work has appeared in No Tokens, Triangle House Review, Electric Literature, and the flash noir anthology Tiny Crimes. He co-created the performance series Enter>text in Los Angeles, and has taught at CalArts and the UVA Young Writers Workshop. He lives in New York Ci