The Animals in That Country (novel) explained

Oclc:1276806803
Isbn Note:(original paperback)
Isbn:978-1925849530
Pages:288
Publisher:Scribe
The Animals in That Country
Language:English
Country:Australia
Author:Laura Jean McKay
Pub Date:March 31, 2020

The Animals in That Country is a 2020 novel by Laura Jean McKay, published by Scribe. The novel won the Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (2020), Arthur C. Clarke Award (2021), Victorian Prize for Literature (2021), and Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction (2021).

In the novel, "A pandemic enables animals and humans to communicate," resulting "in a fierce and funny exploration of other consciousnesses and the limits of language."[1]

Background

The Animals in That Country was inspired by McKay's experiences of the chikungunya virus caught at a writer's festival in Bali in 2013.[2] She had started working on the novel at that time; its eventual release at the start of COVID-19 pandemic was a coincidence.[3] [4] McKay said of her experiences recording the audiobook in March 2020:[5]

I had spent years concocting the most impossible virus, only to witness a disease beyond my imagination infecting, killing and driving the real world towards global isolation. It was a relief to get back into the booth and read the sections of the book where the animals start talking.
The title is a homage to a 1968 poetry collection by Margaret Atwood.[6]

Reception

The Animals in That Country received a starred review from Shelf Awareness.[7] Booklist said the novel is "not just a horror story ... but one filled with humor, optimism, and grace: a wild ride worth taking."[8] The Guardian described it as an "extraordinary debut", and "a stirring attempt to inhabit other consciousnesses and a wry demonstration of the limits of our own language and empathy."[9]

The director of the Arthur C. Clarke Award said, "The novel speaks for the silent victims of our real-world climate crises, but while the environmental and social themes are deeply serious, our judges also praised the book's dark humour, sense of character and place, and its active opposition to easy genre tropes."[10]

Slate named The Animals in That Country one of the top ten books of 2020.[11] The Sunday Times selected it as one of the five best science-fiction books of the year.[12]

Awards for The Animals in That Country!Year!Award!Category!Result!Ref.
2020Aurealis–Best Science Fiction Novel[13]
KitschiesGolden Tentacle (Debut)
2021Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year[14]
Arthur C. Clarke Award—[15]
Australian Literature SocietyALS Gold Medal[16]
—[17]
Readings PrizeNew Australian Fiction[18]
Stella Prize—[19]
Victorian Premier's Literary AwardVictorian Prize for Literature[20]
Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jordan . Justine . 2020-10-07 . The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay review – an extraordinary debut . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220801013413/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/07/the-animals-in-that-country-by-laura-jean-mckay-review-an-extraordinary-debut . 2022-08-01 . 2022-08-01 . . en.
  2. News: Lacy . Judith . 5 February 2021 . Palmerston North's Laura Jean McKay wins Victorian literature prize . Manawatu Guardian . 28 September 2021 . 28 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210928081426/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/manawatu-guardian/news/palmerston-norths-laura-jean-mckay-wins-victorian-literature-prize/TJVRHRRJGRE4UNV3UEQIOY3VGE/ . live .
  3. News: 1 February 2021 . Laura Jean McKay wins $100,000 Victorian literature prize for The Animals in That Country . The Guardian . 13 July 2021 . 27 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927205412/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/feb/01/laura-jean-mckay-wins-100000-victorian-literature-prize-for-the-animals-in-that-country . live .
  4. News: Blackwell . Adam . 28 September 2021 . Manawatū author claims top science fiction prize with pandemic novel . Stuff.co.nz . 28 September 2021 . 28 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210928002144/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/300417062/manawat-author-claims-top-science-fiction-prize-with-pandemic-novel . live .
  5. News: McKay . Laura Jean . 6 April 2020 . The novel coronavirus: On writing a pandemic, then watching it play out . The Spinoff . 28 September 2021 . 27 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927221631/https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/06-04-2020/the-novel-coronavirus-on-writing-a-pandemic-then-watching-it-play-out/ . live .
  6. News: Blackwell . Adam . 28 September 2021 . Manawatū author claims top science fiction prize with pandemic novel . Stuff.co.nz . 28 September 2021 . 28 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210928002144/https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/300417062/manawat-author-claims-top-science-fiction-prize-with-pandemic-novel . live .
  7. Web site: Lombardi . Linda . 2020-12-11 . The Animals in that Country . 2022-08-01 . Shelf Awareness . 2023-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230928114033/https://shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=978 . live .
  8. Web site: Gladstein . Carol . 2020-07-20 . The Animals In That Country . 2022-07-31 . Booklist . 2024-05-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240509220957/https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Animals-In-That-Country/pid=9737181 . live .
  9. News: Jordan . Justine . 7 October 2020 . The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay review – an extraordinary debut . The Guardian . 27 September 2021 . 10 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240210045317/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/07/the-animals-in-that-country-by-laura-jean-mckay-review-an-extraordinary-debut . live .
  10. News: Flood . Alison . 27 September 2021 . Laura Jean McKay wins the Arthur C Clarke award . The Guardian . 27 September 2021 . 27 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927201439/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/sep/27/laura-jean-mckay-wins-the-arthur-c-clarke-award . live .
  11. Web site: Kois . Dan . 2020-12-09 . The Best Books of 2020 . 2022-08-01 . Slate Magazine . en . 2021-09-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210928213519/https://slate.com/culture/2020/12/best-books-2020-dan-kois.html . live .
  12. News: Ings . Simon . 29 November 2020 . Best sci-fi books of the year 2020 . The Sunday Times . subscription . 28 September 2021 . 3 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210803023639/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/best-sci-fi-books-of-the-year-2020-csmq9nmzr . live .
  13. Web site: 9 July 2021 . Aurealis Awards 2020 winners announced Books+Publishing . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709012007/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/07/09/189384/aurealis-awards-2020-winners-announced/ . 2021-07-09 . 2022-08-01 . Books+Publishing . en-AU.
  14. Web site: 3 May 2021 . The Animals in That Country wins ABIA's Small Publishers' Adult Book of The Year . 2022-08-01 . Scribe . en-AU . 2023-03-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230315134939/https://www.scribepublications.com.au/blog/the-animals-in-that-country-wins-an-abia . live .
  15. Web site: 2021-09-28 . Books & Authors Awards: Arthur C. Clarke Winner . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821035432/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=4080 . 2023-08-21 . 2022-08-01 . Shelf Awareness.
  16. Web site: ALS Gold Medal . 2022-08-01 . ASAL - Association for the Study of Australian Literature . en-US . 2024-03-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240315073843/https://www.asal.org.au/awards/als-gold-medal/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2021-05-19 . Awards: Miles Franklin Literary Longlist . 2022-08-01 . Shelf Awareness . 2023-07-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230709094038/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3989 . live .
  18. Web site: The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist 2020 . 2022-08-01 . Readings . 2020-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200930190741/https://www.readings.com.au/collection/the-readings-prize-for-new-australian-fiction-shortlist-2020 . live .
  19. Web site: 2021-03-26 . Awards: NBCC and Rathbones Folio Winners; Dylan Thomas and Stella Shortlists . 2022-08-01 . Shelf Awareness . 2023-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230130004823/https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3951 . live .
  20. Web site: 2021-02-04 . Awards: Victorian Prize for Literature . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221209151141/https://shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3916 . 2022-12-09 . 2022-08-01 . Shelf Awareness.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Animals in That Country (novel)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.