Kirkus Reviews Best Historical Fiction of 2019 The Millions Most Anticipated Books of 2019 Torn apart by war and bigotry, two families confront long-buried secrets in this haunting American novel of World War II and Vietnam.
Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Amazon and the San Francisco Chronicle Longlisted for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere (Foreign Authors) “[A] galloping great read... [a] genuine work of art.” —Porter Shreve, San Francisco Chronicle, front-page review Bill Reed manages a wildlife sanctuary in rural Idaho, caring for injured animals unable to survive in the wild —raptors, a wolf, and his beloved bear, Majer, among them. He hopes to marry the local vet and live out a quiet life, until a childhood friend is released from prison and threatens to reveal Bill’s darkest secrets. Suddenly forced to confront his criminal past, Bill battles fiercely to preserve both the shelter and his hard-won new identity. Alternating between the past and the present, The Animals builds powerfully toward the revelation of Bill’s defining betrayal—and the drastic lengths he’ll go to in order to escape the consequences.