Enter the Aardvark is an American satirical novel by Jessica Anthony originally published in 2020.
 First edition | |
| Author | Jessica Anthony |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Satire |
| Published | 2020 (Little, Brown and Co.) |
| Pages | 192 (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-316-53615-8 |
Plot summary
editThe novel follows two related stories of repressed love connected via a giant taxidermied aardvark. One strand of the novel is set in modern-day Washington, D.C and chronicles freshman Rep. Alexander Paine Wilson's receipt of the stuffed aardvark via a mysterious FedEx dropoff. This event sets in motion a satirical chain of events for the neo-Reaganite congressman preparing for a reelection campaign. A separate thread set in Victorian-era London tells the story of Titus Downing, the taxidermist who originally stuffed and displayed the aardvark. The two stories weave together similarities and secrets the men share across time and space.
Awards and recognition
editThe novel featured on a number of year-end book review lists including Time's The 100 Must Read Books of 2020 and The A.V. Club's 15 favorite books of 2020.[1][2]
Publication history
editEnter the Aardvark was first published in hardcover in the United States by Little, Brown and Company on March 24, 2020.[3] It was released in the United Kingdom by Penguin Random House on April 23, 2020.[4]
Literary criticism
editAnthony received favorable reviews across a number of newspapers and online media include The New York Times Book Review,[citation needed] Los Angeles Times,[5] Time,[6] The Guardian,[7] Esquire,[citation needed] and Los Angeles Review of Books.[citation needed] Maggie Lange reviewing for the Los Angeles Times compared the novel to Vladimir Nabokov's Pnin as well as political satires such as HBO's television show Veep and Christopher Buckley's novel Thank You For Smoking.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony". Time. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "Enter The Aardvark by Jessica Anthony (Little, Brown)". The A.V. Club. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "Enter the Aardvark". Little, Brown and Company. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "Enter the Aardvark". Penguin Random House. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ a b "Review: The aardvark stays in the picture". Los Angeles Times. 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "Political Satire 'Enter the Aardvark' Is Wonderfully Weird". Time. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
- ^ Cook, Jude (2020-04-23). "Enter the Aardvark by Jessica Anthony review – achingly funny farce". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-01-18.