The Animals in That Country (novel)

This article is about Laura Jean McKay's 2020 novel. For Margaret Atwood's 1968 poetry collection, see The Animals in That Country.
The Animals in That Country
AuthorLaura Jean McKay
LanguageEnglish
PublisherScribe
Publication date
March 31, 2020
Publication placeAustralia
Pages288
Awards
ISBN978-1925849530 (original paperback)
OCLC1276806803

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][2] 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.
2020 Aurealis Award Aurealis–Best Science Fiction Novel Won [13]
Kitschies Golden Tentacle (Debut) Nominated
2021 ABIA Small Publishers' Adult Book of the Year Won [14]
Arthur C. Clarke Award — Won [15]
Australian Literature Society ALS Gold Medal Shortlisted [16]
Miles Franklin Literary Award — Longlisted [17]
Readings Prize New Australian Fiction Shortlisted [18]
Stella Prize — Shortlisted [19]
Victorian Premier's Literary Award Victorian Prize for Literature Won [20]
Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction Won [20]

References

  1. ^ Jordan, Justine (2020-10-07). "The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay review – an extraordinary debut". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  2. ^ a b Lacy, Judith (5 February 2021). "Palmerston North's Laura Jean McKay wins Victorian literature prize". Manawatu Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Laura Jean McKay wins $100,000 Victorian literature prize for The Animals in That Country". The Guardian. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  4. ^ Blackwell, Adam (28 September 2021). "Manawatū author claims top science fiction prize with pandemic novel". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. ^ McKay, Laura Jean (6 April 2020). "The novel coronavirus: On writing a pandemic, then watching it play out". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  6. ^ Blackwell, Adam (28 September 2021). "Manawatū author claims top science fiction prize with pandemic novel". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  7. ^ Lombardi, Linda (2020-12-11). "The Animals in that Country". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  8. ^ Gladstein, Carol (2020-07-20). "The Animals In That Country". Booklist. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  9. ^ Jordan, Justine (7 October 2020). "The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay review – an extraordinary debut". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  10. ^ Flood, Alison (27 September 2021). "Laura Jean McKay wins the Arthur C Clarke award". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  11. ^ Kois, Dan (2020-12-09). "The Best Books of 2020". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  12. ^ Ings, Simon (29 November 2020). "Best sci-fi books of the year 2020". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Aurealis Awards 2020 winners announced | Books+Publishing". Books+Publishing. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  14. ^ "The Animals in That Country wins ABIA's Small Publishers' Adult Book of The Year". Scribe. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  15. ^ "Books & Authors Awards: Arthur C. Clarke Winner". Shelf Awareness. 2021-09-28. Archived from the original on 2023-08-21. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  16. ^ "ALS Gold Medal". ASAL - Association for the Study of Australian Literature. Archived from the original on 2024-03-15. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  17. ^ "Awards: Miles Franklin Literary Longlist". Shelf Awareness. 2021-05-19. Archived from the original on 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  18. ^ "The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction shortlist 2020". Readings. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  19. ^ "Awards: NBCC and Rathbones Folio Winners; Dylan Thomas and Stella Shortlists". Shelf Awareness. 2021-03-26. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  20. ^ a b "Awards: Victorian Prize for Literature". Shelf Awareness. 2021-02-04. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-08-01.