{"product_id":"9781948924542","title":"Rough Animals : An American Western Thriller","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Rae DelBianco\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of Cormac McCarthy, Denis Johnson, and Ron Rash, the electrifying contemporary western thriller where \u003ci\u003eBreaking Bad \u003c\/i\u003emeets \u003ci\u003eNo Country for Old Men: \u003c\/i\u003enow in paperback\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Since their father's untimely death, Wyatt Smith and his twin sister, Lucy, have scraped by alone on the family ranch in Box Elder County, Utah. That is until one morning when, after spotting one of their steers lying dead in the field, Wyatt is hit in the arm by a hail of gunfire that takes four more cattle with it. The shooter: a fearsome girl-child with a TEC-9 in her left hand and a shotgun in her right. They hold the girl captive, but she breaks loose overnight and heads south into the desert. With the realization that the loss of cattle will mean the certain loss of the ranch, Wyatt has no choice but to go after her and somehow find restitution.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Wyatt's decision sets him on an epic twelve-day odyssey through a nightmarish underworld that pits him not only against the primordial ways of men and the brutally unforgiving landscape but also against himself. For the first time, he is forced to look at who he is and what he’s capable of, and how those hard truths set him irrevocably apart from the one person he’s ever really known and loved. Steeped in a mythic, wildly alive language of its own, and gripping from the first gunshot to the last, \u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e is a tour de force from a powerful new voice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 25 Best Thriller Books of the Summer—\u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBest New Books Coming Out Summer 2018 —\u003ci\u003eSouthern Living\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e46 Great Books to Read This Summer—\u003ci\u003eNylon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDazzling Debuts—WYPR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e8 New Books You Should Read This June—\u003ci\u003evulture.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSummer Thrillers That Will Have You at the Edge of Your Chaise Lounge—Refinery29\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat We Read, Watched, and Listened to in May—Outside\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e . . . is that \u003ci\u003erara avis\u003c\/i\u003e: a fiction debut at once sure-footed, almost existentially gripping, and raucously, violently unexpected.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVogue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Enrapturing . . . A brutal but beautifully written Western.\"?\u003ci\u003evulture.com\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003e\"8 New Books You Should Read This June\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A lyrical thriller garnering comparisons to Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson . . . Will appeal to anyone who, like me, watched \u003ci\u003eGodless\u003c\/i\u003e and suddenly realized they like Westerns after all. . . . To simply describe the plot is to undersell the book's key quality?the way DelBianco's arresting, lyrical sentences seem to activate all five senses, plus your sense of fear.\"?\u003ci\u003eRefinery29\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eSummer Thrillers That Will Have You at the Edge of Your Chaise Lounge\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"The tension doesn’t let up. . . . \u003cb\u003eIf the narrative keeps you turning the pages, her almost Biblical voice makes you want to stay and dwell on each sentence\u003c\/b\u003e.\"?\u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003e\"What We Read, Watched, and Listened to in May\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “In this \u003cb\u003ehaunting new novel\u003c\/b\u003e by Rae DelBianco, a child with a gun interrupts the lives of twins Wyatt and Lucy at their ranch in Utah, prompting Wyatt to set out on a harrowing journey across both interior and exterior landscapes?both of which prove equally complex to navigate.”?\u003ci\u003eSouthern Living\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eBest New Books Coming Out Summer 2018\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Written . . . so provocatively and viscerally.\"?\u003ci\u003eNylon\u003c\/i\u003e, “\u003cb\u003e46 Great Books to Read This Summer”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003e[A] dazzling debut.\"\u003c\/b\u003e?WYPR, \"The Weekly Reader\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Rae DelBianco has a knack for writing action. . . . Once Wyatt is on the road, [she] showcases her talent for rich descriptions of the natural landscape, as well as a lack of abashment in approaching brutality head-on.\"?\u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Equal parts charming, strange, unpredictable, and genuinely horrifying.”—\u003ci\u003eCowgirl \u003c\/i\u003emagazine\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eFurious and electric . . .\u003c\/b\u003e The novel succeeds as a viscerally evoked and sparely plotted fever dream, a bleakly realized odyssey through an American west populated by survivors and failed dreamers.”?\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This take-no-prisoners debut from DelBianco has been compared to Cormac McCarthy, Denis Johnson, Ron Rash, Donald Ray Pollock, and Jim Thompson, and rather than argue, we'll just throw in Gabriel Tallent. Against a backdrop of \u003cb\u003eferocious, visceral, almost psychedelically intense\u003c\/b\u003e nature writing. . . \u003cb\u003eMan, this 'redneck kid author' can write.\u003c\/b\u003e”?\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003eStarred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “In this high-octane, take-no-prisoners debut, Rae DelBianco portrays the mayhem and grit of the new West with the demon eye of Cormac McCarthy but a fierce heart very much her own. \u003cb\u003eI dare you to draw a breath from beginning to end.\u003c\/b\u003e”?Julia Glass, National Book Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eA House Among the Trees\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThree Junes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eA brilliant, incandescent debut\u003c\/b\u003e that will remind everyone of a young Cormac McCarthy.”?Philipp Meyer, author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Rust\u003c\/i\u003e and Pulitzer Prize finalist \u003ci\u003eThe Son\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is the kind of novel that can teach you the mechanics of dissecting a bull with only an axe and a knife, or how to survive on a coyote’s blood if you’re waterless in the desert. It renders its portrait of brother-sister love and their pitiless world of the badlands of northern Utah with some of Denis Johnson’s \u003cb\u003eflamboyant lyricism\u003c\/b\u003e, when it comes to longings for transcendence, and with more than a little of Cormac McCarthy’s implacable vision of a world in which we survive by doing \u003cb\u003ethe thing most others could not bring themselves to do\u003c\/b\u003e.”?Jim Shepard, Story Prize winner and author of \u003ci\u003eThe World to Come\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eLike You'd Understand, Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A wild and alive debut, full of grit, gunfire, blood, and bad news. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is as phantasmagoric as McCarthy and as pitiless as Jim Thompson. \u003cb\u003eA rare treat\u003c\/b\u003e.”?Joshua Ferris, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Dinner Party\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThen We Came to an End\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “DelBianco’s captivating debut, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, stakes its claim to the modern Western, substituting assault weapons for six-shooters and cartel members for the old-fashioned gunslingers in a story told with a style of \u003cb\u003eclassic American grit\u003c\/b\u003e.”?Douglas Brunt, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eGhosts of Manhattan\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Means\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is not only \u003cb\u003ea wild, unnerving story\u003c\/b\u003e, but a \u003cb\u003eheart-hammering experience\u003c\/b\u003e. . . . If you like \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Patriot\u003c\/i\u003e, or any other epics full of revenge, familial bonds, and brutal bloodshed, you're sure to enjoy \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e.\"?\u003ci\u003emybookishbones\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eYou know when you start a new book and you just know that it's going to be a favorite for years to come?\u003c\/b\u003e The kind of book that grips you by the hackles from the first line and never lets go? The kind that you have to ration your reading of because you don't want it to end? This was one of those books… I am in love with this book… There wasn't a single page I didn't love, a single word I felt was out of place, or a single moment where I wasn't moved or scared or fascinated or amazed. I truly believe that \u003cb\u003ethis book will be considered a classic one day, and its author a legend.\u003c\/b\u003e For anyone looking for an incredibly well written and heart-thumping story, for a gritty and fast-paced thriller, or for a book that will simply blow your mind, then I wholeheartedly recommend this novel.”?\u003ci\u003eThe Joycean Booknerd\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A tale that takes you on a hypnotic sensory road in a terrible beauty of a narrative.\"—\u003ci\u003emore2read.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e***** What Reviewers Are Saying *****\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eRae DelBianco has an inimitable voice all her own…\u003c\/b\u003e I found her to be a poetic voice in the wilderness, both literally and figuratively. Ms. Delbianco is able to take horrific scenes and make your heart weep. She is able to write about things seemingly mundane and make you feel that you'll never experience them the same way again. That this is a debut novel is difficult to believe… This book is sure to make my top ten of the year.”?Bonnie Brody, Vine Voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I can’t endorse this book highly enough. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year. The writing is \u003cb\u003ea sensational experience!\u003c\/b\u003e”?Elyse, Goodreads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eDynamic, lyrical masterpiece.\u003c\/b\u003e”?Mr. August, Vine Voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is precisely an excellent example of how \u003cb\u003ea powerful new voice\u003c\/b\u003e shapes the formidable novel. The story is written so ably that I’d never thought it’s a debut novel. The beauty of narration is murderous. It’s a deadly weapon in Rae’s arms, and she gladly carries the bloodshed not only on the pages of her novel but makes the reader bleeding with her narrative style in such an elegant and neat way. A couple of comparisons almost killed me with their beauty. \u003cb\u003eIt's the book I envy I didn't write by myself.\u003c\/b\u003e”?Alisa Ellie, Goodreads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “From the opening sentence of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e by author Rae DelBianco, the language is \u003cb\u003ecaptivating\u003c\/b\u003e, bringing beauty to a primal landscape, a lost world.”?Kimberly Jacovich, Goodreads \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eThis young author will be a force.\u003c\/b\u003e I don't normally stay up all night to finish a book, but I could not put \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e down. There are comparisons being made to Cormac McCarthy; I'd say they are spot on. I also see parallels with Larry McMurtry, Steinbeck and Faulkner.”?Deb Coco, Goodreads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eHard to believe that this is a debut novel.\u003c\/b\u003e Intense thrills, visceral violence and a distinctive literary bent... Will look for [DelBianco]’s next book.”?Andrew Eichner, NetGalley\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eBest 2018 novel\u003c\/b\u003e so far. A post-Western odyssey in a Malebrancheian theodicy. ‘This redneck kid author can write.’”?Pauolo Latini, Goodreads\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Fascinating… Like many good books, this one is two stories told at the same time… \u003cb\u003eI honestly don’t think I’ve ever read something in a style like this before…\u003c\/b\u003every readable and enjoyable.”?D. Town, Vine Voice\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Rae's prose was \u003cb\u003espectacular\u003c\/b\u003e... beyond a simple label of 'well written'. It was simply incredible. Her descriptions of the vast, brutal, deep South \u003cb\u003ewill haunt me for a long, long time\u003c\/b\u003e.”?\u003ci\u003ePaulina \u0026amp; Maha\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Rife with shootouts, hauntingly beautiful descriptions of the uncultivated wilds of Utah, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRough Animals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e reads like McCarthy’s best work with a dash of Tarantino’s cinematic mythology. \u003cb\u003eI LOVED this book\u003c\/b\u003e and think it's the ideal modern western. BRAVO Rae!”?Alyssa, \u003ci\u003eForest Noir Photography + Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781948924542\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Arcade","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40590519533774,"sku":"9781948924542","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_36634a3f-2c24-40ab-808a-207e1862f436.jpg?v=1637738646","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781948924542","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}