Animals in That Country

WINNER OF THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD
A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
Out on the road, no one speaks, everything talks.
Hard-drinking, foul-mouthed grandma Jean has never been good at getting on with other humans, apart from her granddaughter, Kimberly. Instead, she surrounds herself with animals, working as a guide in an outback wildlife park.
Then, a strange pandemic begins sweeping the country, its chief symptom that its victims begin to understand the language of animals. Many infected people lose their minds, including Jean’s son, Lee.
When he takes off with Kimberly, Jean follows, with Sue the dingo riding shotgun. As they travel, they discover a stark, strange world in which the animal apocalypse has only further isolated people from other species.

Reviews

‘The winner of the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Prize for Fiction, among many other accolades, sees a pandemic (coincidentally) raging through Australia, in which those infected with ‘zooflu’ can understand the various languages of animals. The big question, and the one McKay handles beautifully, is what, exactly, those animals are saying and what effect that has on the people who can’t help but listen.’