Description

A haunting and vivid novel which excavates an Australia rarely seen in literature.

New Year’s Eve, 1990, small-town Australia. The mysterious death of the family dog pushes Jack, a Vietnam veteran suffering from severe PTSD, into one of his periodic vanishing acts. His eccentric brother Les remains next door, a gentle fixer-upper, whose loyalties are increasingly torn between Jack and his wife Evelyn. This time, Evelyn lets Jack stay gone. She is rapidly disappearing herself, lost in recollections of a vibrant youth as her eldest daughter Lani seems intent on misspending her own. And at the heart of it all is Lani’s little sister Ru, who sees everything and yet is overlooked.

A Loving, Faithful Animal is an unforgettable interrogation of ruins, redemption and reasons why.

Publisher Review

A slim beauty...A work of such well-defined characters, each so carefully drawn as to breathe, and a work so full of stark emotional moments...Like the best of Breece DJ Pancake or W.G. Sebald, Rowe plants small moments from history as a soldier might bury landmines. -- Samantha Hunt * The New York Times Book Review * A subtle and haunting meditation on childhood, escape, the bonds and the limits of family, and the long reach of trauma. Rowe is a serious talent, and her debut novel is both gorgeous and stunning. -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven A Loving, Faithful Animal lured me in with astonishing, poetic prose, and a glimpse of an Australia I don't always see in fiction. But the true thrill of the novel is the carousel of haunting characters Josephine Rowe creates with unbelievable precision. An unflinching look at the ways we fail the people we love, at the cruelty of family, its toxicity, and beauty. The book is a deep, multi-faceted portrait of the inheritance of damage, one that left me aching and inspired. -- Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter In Rowe's measured and concise writing there's no room, or need, for extravagance, or anything akin to the literary version of small talk. What is written has a kick to it. * Sydney Morning Herald * A heartbreaking and memorable hero...A rich, kaleidoscopic depiction of inherited trauma in stunning prose. * Kirkus Review *