Open Throat

by Henry Hoke
Open Throat cover
Good Books rating 4.0
Literary Fiction
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Paperback • £9.99 Hardback • £14.99
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  • ID: 1095
  • Added: 2025-09-25
  • Updated: 2025-11-29
  • ISBN: 9781035007752
  • Publisher: Picador
  • Published: 2023-07-27
  • Formats: 34
  • Reviews: 4

In the drought-stricken hills beneath the Hollywood sign, a lonely and queer mountain lion protects a homeless encampment while wrestling with their own complex identity. When a devastating fire forces them into the city, the lion confronts the stark inequalities of Los Angeles, facing temptations and threats that challenge their very nature. This captivating narrative blends mythic elements with raw vulnerability, offering a unique perspective on the human condition. As the lion grapples with the ultimate question of whether to consume or become human, readers are taken on a journey through a world that is both wondrous and menacing.

Reviews
The Arts Desk · India Lewis · 2023-08-09
Powerful 4.00

The book scrutinizes our treatment of animals and their environment, offering a daring and thought-provoking narrative from the perspective of a mountain lion. It's a powerful exploration of ecological and social issues.

India Lewis highlights how Hoke's novel brings attention to the treatment of animals and their environments, making it a daring and necessary read. They appreciated the novel's polyphonic perspective, which offers a unique way to view human systems and the natural world. Lewis found the book to be both profound and playful, with a star-making quality that brings mythmaking to real life.

Quick quotes

    Our treatment of animals and their environment comes under scrutiny in Hoke's daring fifth novel.

    Both feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a star-making novel.

    Brings mythmaking to real life.

The Guardian · 2023-07-28
Intriguing 4.50

This novelette is an instant classic of xenofiction, filled with unique stylistic choices and a compelling exploration of a mountain lion's perspective. It's a quick read that offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on animal consciousness.

The reviewer was captivated by the novel's unique narrative style, describing it as a one-sitting read with copious line breaks and sketchy punctuation that effectively convey the mountain lion's perspective. They appreciated the way Hoke delves into the mind of a queer mountain lion, creating a story that is both profound and playful. The reviewer found the book to be an instant classic of xenofiction, praising its ability to make a fierce predator sympathetic and almost human-like.

Quick quotes

    This is a one-sitting novelette, an instant classic of xenofiction.

    With copious line breaks, sketchy punctuation and plenty of leonine misunderstandings.

    Hoke made such a fierce predator into a sympathetic cat with almost human-like qualities.

Frieze · 2023-07-06
profound 4.00

The novel is praised for its hallucinatory exploration of ecological grief and queer desire, offering a unique perspective on Los Angeles's issues.

This review highlights 'Open Throat' as a hallucinatory novel that delves into the polycrisis of Los Angeles, including issues like homelessness and wildfires, through the eyes of a mountain lion. The reviewer appreciates the book's exploration of ecological grief and queer desire, finding it both profound and timely. They believe the novel's unique perspective offers a fresh and necessary commentary on contemporary societal issues. The reviewer is impressed by the way the book blends mythmaking with real-life concerns, creating a compelling narrative.

Quick quotes

    Told from the perspective of a mountain lion, Henry Hoke's hallucinatory novel explores the polycrisis of Los Angeles's unhoused population, wildfires and ...

    The novel's exploration of ecological grief and queer desire is both profound and timely.

    Hoke's prose is both profound and playful, bringing mythmaking to real life.

Books, Bones & Buffy · Tammy · 2023-06-22
Engaging 3.50

The novel successfully transforms a fierce predator into a sympathetic character with human-like qualities, making it a strangely satisfying read. It's a unique and engaging exploration of a mountain lion's life.

Tammy was particularly impressed with how Hoke managed to make a mountain lion into a sympathetic and almost human-like character. They found the book to be a unique and engaging read, with a satisfying exploration of the mountain lion's perspective. Tammy appreciated the novel's ability to delve into the mind of a predator and present it in a way that is both relatable and thought-provoking.

Quick quotes

    It was strangely satisfying to see how Hoke made such a fierce predator into a sympathetic cat with almost human-like qualities.

    Hoke's hallucinatory novel explores the polycrisis of Los Angeles's unhoused population, wildfires, and ecological grief.

    Covering a few weeks in the mountain lion's life, 'Open Throat' deconstructs human systems and presents them from the perspective of one of nature's most misunderstood creatures.

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