One of the best books I read this year was a novel narrated by a queer mountain lion living in the wildland urban interface above Los Angeles ("ellay" in the lion's parlance). As many other readers will tell you, OPEN THROAT by Henry Hoke will grab you (yes, by the throat) from the very first sentence. This is a story about: loneliness, love, fear, climate change, human cell-phone chatter, acceptance, family dysfunction, wilderness preservation, empathy, the savory taste of flesh, loyalty, and two or ten other things--all of it told through the distinct and unforgettable voice of a mountain lion (modeled after the real life "P-22" cat who lived in the Hollywood Hills). I'll admit I was a bit skeptical when I began "Open Throat," wondering how Henry Hoke could convince me of the lion's queerness. Reader, by the time I reached page 62, I was convinced. This book is perfect, first word to last. ( )

Wry, sly, strangely addicting. ( )

4.5⭐️

I read Open Throat by Henry Hoke twice, listened to it once, and intend to read it again! The author does a commendable job of building a prose poem fever dream-like narrative from the first person limited perspective of an animal untouched by human domesticity, allowing for unbiased and untainted reactions to what it sees and experiences. The audio narration by Pete Cross breathes life into this story.

“I have no idea what it’s like to be a person and to be confronted with a me”

Our unnamed narrator, a queer wild mountain lion who roams the forest area around the Hollywood sign in “ellay”, shares their perspectives on a myriad of topics– survival in the dwindling forests, homelessness, the earthquakes or the “shudders”, their fear of the highway and the habits and conversations of the hikers they see from their hiding place in the thickets. Observant and perceptive, our narrator is often critical of the human condition and habits that impacted his habitat and way of life but also does not lack compassion where it is due.

In this midst of our narrator’s observations are their reflections and memories of family, and past love and we follow our narrator as they leave their hunting grounds after a heinous crime against the homeless encampment in his park, venturing into the city amid the very humans they once observed from a safe distance, ultimately sheltering in the attic of a family home, befriending a young girl - an experience that prompts a dream of “Diznee’ ’toward the end of this short novel, building up to an ending that stays with you.

“every person sitting and walking has hands too and I see all their hands and I know what their hands can do and what their hands would do and the violence waiting behind every motion”

Weaving vivid imagery, elements of wonder, tragedy, heartbreak and dry humor and touching upon themes that impact all living beings - human and animals alike, Open Throat by Henry Hoke is an addictive, imaginative and thought-provoking experience that I would not hesitate to recommend.
In the Acknowledgments section, the author dedicates this book to P-22, the wild mountain lion that lived in Griffith Park (circa 2010 till his death in 2022). ( )

Second Read: June 21 2023

I read this twice this month. Once via the e-arc and once via audio... I love it so much, it's one of my favorites this year. Over time I think this will really stay with me. The themes and the delivery are so well done, poignant and moving. This is so poetic.

original characters
original story
poetic
immersive
enlightening
meaningful
thought-provoking
_______________

First Read: June 1 2023

When I heard that FSG was releasing a book narrated by a queer mountain lion, I was intrigued (to say the least) and when Sunnys Book Club announced it as their June pick I was so excited. Imagine my utter joy when the e-ARC for ‘Open Throat’ by Henry Hoke was kindly provided to me via NetGalley and the publisher. I mean— most things might not be going my way, but in regards to this book, tops! LOL

And… without further suspense… it was a literal five star. I can’t. I loved, adored, ate this book up! Sunnys Book Truck you sure can pick ‘em! I couldn’t (and didn’t) put this down.

‘Open Throat’ is a captivating and innovative story, full of impactful writing and musings on people, planet, parenthood, love and connection. I was moved to tears, multiple times, amidst this seemingly sparse prose. The mountain lion (who’s name we cannot know, a detail that touched me) moves through the park, the dark, the outskirts of the city, and interprets - often with grey empathy - the beings around him, he thinks back on his mother and father — the love and violence of that — and his interactions with another mountain lion. There is a deep loneliness in his life, a vulnerability in his fertility. The whole story reads with such intensity and relatability. I can’t stop thinking about it, and I hope I never do.

My father worked at the nature center at a state park when I was a child. They took in a domesticated cougar and in the early days he got into the cage with him, and even I was able to pet him, talk to him. Over time, they didn’t allow anyone to. And he went from loved to lonely. His life in a cage made all the more painful by this change. One of the last times I saw him I stood at the enclosure, alone, and just looked at him, looking at me and I knew he knew me, and I have never felt more regretful that I could not just let him free. That what man had taken and misinterpreted, for its own amusement had cost him his life. I hope he knows he was a “goddess” to me. ( )

The narrator is a displaced mountain lion in California. It was certainly interesting, and nicely brief. I like books that try to capture an animal's perspective. It really lost me though when the girl takes him to Disney World. ( )