A Good Animal

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

" A stunning, unforgettable, and deeply American novel." --Julia Phillips, National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of Bear and Disappearing Earth

"Maurer's prose is undeniably beautiful and evocative." -- Kirkus Reviews

A heart-wrenching coming-of-age debut novel by a stunning new voice in fiction, for readers of Barbara Kingsolver and Ann Patchett.

Staying is his dream. Leaving is hers. One secret threatens them both.

In the farm country outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan--a border town where life moves slow and dreams run fast--most kids want out. Not Everett Lindt. He's set on staying put, rebuilding his family's sheep farm, and carving a future from the land he loves.

Then he meets Mary, a new girl in town with restless energy and bigger plans. When their relationship reaches a crossroads, Everett sees a life together. Mary, however, is desperate to find a way out. Together, they make an impulsive choice--one that could change everything.

Tense, lyrical, and deeply felt, Sara Maurer's unforgettable debut breathtakingly captures the ache of first love, the beauty and brutality of rural life, and how one decision can echo through generations and shape who we become.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Maurer's debut traces a year of change in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where rural rhythms shape both daily life and coming of age. The novel follows Everett Lindt from the summer of 1995 through his senior year in Sault Ste. Marie, a small town that most teens can't wait to leave. However, Everett plans to remain and is committed to taking over his family's sheep farm. He takes pride in his care for the flock, even as friendship and first love complicate his path. His best friend Charlie is caught up in his pursuit of Kylie, while Everett falls for Mary, the new girl in town whose restless ambition collides with Everett's desire for stability. Their relationship intensifies, then fractures, pushing Everett to make choices that reveal both his tenderness and his limitations. Meanwhile, the stark realities of farm life--birth, death, and responsibility--underscore the novel's central tension: the pull between nurture and destruction, belonging and escape. Lyrical yet accessible, Maurer's prose expertly captures the ache of first love and the harsh beauty of rural life. VERDICT A resonant coming-of-age novel for fans of Jane Smiley and Alice Munro.--Alicia Rogers

Publishers Weekly Review

Maurer's dazzling debut chronicles a boy's coming-of-age in rural Michigan. Everett, born into a sheep farming clan in Sault Ste. Marie, plans to spend the rest of his life on his family's land, which goes back generations. He's 17 in 1995 when he meets Mary, the daughter of a Coast Guard officer, who's lived in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Puerto Rico. Living in town for her senior year in high school, Mary has her sights set on leaving what she perceives as a stultifying rural community for art school in California. The author paints a tender portrait of their growing romance against the backdrop of the myriad travails of sheep farming. Everett is a thoughtful soul and Mary finds him delightful, but when she gets pregnant, their plans go awry. Maurer's artful prose evokes the characters' deep feelings for each other as well as a strong sense of place ("Her braids caught the wind and blew out behind her like kite tails"). Along the way, she builds tension as Everett tries to convince Mary to give up her dreams and spend her life with him. The result is a deeply felt examination of the heartbreaking choices people make for love. Agent: Carrie Howland and Zoe-Aline Howard, Howland Lterary. (Feb.)