A woman embarks on a dazzling new phase in her life after inheriting a sprawling mansion and its vast collection of taxidermy Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet is one of the most acclaimed novelists of her generation Scott TimbergnbspLos Angeles TimesnbspSalon praised her for writing that is always flawlessly beautiful reaching for an experience that precedes language itself The Village Voice added If Kurt Vonnegut were still alive he would be extremely jealous This stunning new novel presents Susan Lindley a woman adrift after her husbandxs death and the dissolution of her family Embarking on a new phase in her life after inheriting her unclexs sprawling mansion and its vast collection of taxidermy Susan decides to restore the neglected moth-eaten animal mounts tending to xCthe fur and feathers the beaks the bones and shimmering tailsxD Meanwhile an equally derelict human menageriexincluding an unfaithful husband and a chorus of eccentric old womenxjoins her in residenceIn a setting both wondrous and absurd Susan defends her legacy from freeloading relatives and explores the mansionxs unknown spaces Funny and heartbreaking Magnificencenbspexplores evolution and extinction children and parenthood loss and revelation The result is the rapturous final act to the critically acclaimed cycle of novels that began withnbspHow the Dead Dream.
