Open Throat

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," show more 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. show less

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
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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 show more 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. show less

It's been a day since I wrapped up the book. I basically plowed through it without even taking a bathroom break. So, I figured it was kinda necessary to take some time before I write down my thoughts about it.

The book reads very easy, which makes sense considering it's from the perspective of a mountain lion stuck in the chaos of L.A. His entire vocabulary comes from the words he has overheard from cribbing locals on their hikes.

On the surface, it's kind of absurd and gets a chuckle or two. But, if you give it a moment and move past the quirky exterior, it has got charm, wit, and a touch of cynicism that just sneaks up on you.

A mountain lion roaming the streets of LA may not seem like the most relatable character, but after a couple show more of pages, you'll see bits of his isolation, loneliness, and fears mirroring some of your own.

the bright world below the park at night is a blur to me when I try to look out over it
but if I get close enough to a creature's eye I can see what it sees and in the owl's eye I see ellay clearly

P.s. I loved the dream sequence, it is SO weird! show less

A short book, written in sparse prose, intelligently and deeply about an important and existential subject.
After Wolf and the Woodsman, I don't know why I put myself through another sad animal book. I literally cried multiple times reading this book. As someone who empathizes a lot with animals, who has held my cats as they trembled through my neighborhood's firework antics, Heckin, the mountain lion's struggles made my heart ache so hard for them. This is a book for people who recognize that, just because they cannot communicate or think like we do, animals are intelligent. The results are haunting.
I knew this was based on the P-22 mountain lion that lived briefly in Los Angeles, but after I read the book, I had to do some more show more research because I had forgotten his story. He lived in one of the smallest ranges for a male mountain lion, after crossing two major highways that most animals don't manage to survive. He was captured by the National Park Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife after the alleged killing of at least two dogs and was euthanized after it was determined he could not be rehabilitated due to multiple health issues. Apparently, he had been hit by a car and had sustained internal injuries on top of having multiple chronic illnesses, being underweight, and having an extensive parasitic skin infection. It warmed my heart to hear he was honored by several representatives of Native American tribes in Southern California and buried in the Santa Monica mountains he once called home. He also inspired the construction of a wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway, which is expected to be completed in 2025.
This is a book about more than a mountain lion though. It is about climate grief, "scare city", and the hubris, cruelty, and disconnection of mankind from its own nature due to urbanization.
Rest in power P-22. I am so sorry for what humanity has done to beautiful creatures like you, and this planet as a whole.

Sources: nps.gov, Wikipedia, and 101wildlifecrossing.org show less

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 show more “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). show less

I loved this. I was wary going into it because I do not like stream of consciousness, but I was willing to give it a try because of the interesting premise. While there isn't any punctuation, it is formatted in a way that makes it easy to read.

It's a sweet tribute to P-22, and I understand why the people of L.A. (or ellay, as he would call it) felt such comradery with him.

Well, this was an interesting little novel(la) told in free verse. I think I like its concept more than its execution—especially the second half, which really suffered and seemed to disperse into all sorts of directions. But, at least compared to what I've been reading so far this year, it still felt fresh it took no effort on my part to finish because of its length and style.

Content Warnings:
- misgendering
- child abuse (hinted at)

Representation
- the protagonist is a queer mountain lion

Under the Hollywood sign lives a starving mountain lion who's been run out of their home by their father. In their new territory, the mountain lion guards over their "town" (a group of houseless people living in tents in the park), feeds on the scraps show more the people in their town leave out, and listen to the hikers as they pass by. When a disaster forces the mountain lion into the city, they are also forced even closer to humans and they contemplate and weigh human-like identity versus animal hunger.

I'm going to try to keep this review fairly short, because I have so many nitpicky issues with it that just fall into subjective taste. And to make this really short: I enjoyed the first half, but the second half took everything interesting that the book set up and kind of disregarded it.

I absolutely loved the idea of a mountain lion as the narrator living among humans and picking up on their words and habits and the idea of exploring themselves, but still not understanding them completely ("my people in town call me puma/ley-on/fucking cat"). If it weren't for the humans' dialogue that sound like they could be Twitter or Tumblr posts, especially because they're about the same length, too, I would've probably adored this.

And if it weren't for that second half. That was a mess. The story added a white witch who made me want to pull my hair out, a bizarre and unpleasant dream in which the lion and the witch go to Disney, and an ending that, while it fits the story, is a bit predictable.

Overall, I'm glad the novel was pretty short, because my patience with it and its characters was growing dangerously thin. However, the concept and format felt fresh, and I always appreciate authors taking risks like this. show less