Kept Animals
A Novel
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Kept Animals
Narrated by:
Rebecca Lowman
Buy Now for $27.88
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Narrated by:
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Rebecca Lowman
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By:
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Kate Milliken
About this listen
A “rugged and ravishing” (Oprah Daily) debut novel of desire, betrayal, and loss, centering on three teenage girls, a horse ranch, and the accident that changes everything.
It’s 1993, and Rory Ramos works as a ranch hand at the stable her stepfather manages in Topanga Canyon, California, a dry, dusty place reliant on horses and hierarchies. There she rides for the rich clientele, including twins June and Wade Fisk. While Rory draws the interest of out-and-proud June, she’s more intrigued by Vivian Price, the beautiful girl with the movie-star father who lives down the hill. Rory keeps largely separate from the likes of the Prices—but, perched on her bedroom windowsill, Rory steals glimpses of Vivian swimming in her pool nearly every night.
After Rory’s stepfather is involved in a tragic car accident, the lives of Rory, June, and Vivian become inextricably bound together. Rory discovers photography, begins riding more competitively, and grows closer to seductive, mercurial Vivian, but despite her newfound sense of self, disaster lurks all around her in this “exquisite exploration of hurt and desire” (Jeannette Walls): in the parched landscape, in her unruly longings, in her stepfather’s wrecked body and guilty conscience. One night, as the relationships among these teenagers come to a head, a forest fire tears through the canyon, and Rory’s life is changed forever.
Narrated by Rory’s daughter, Charlie, in 2015, more than twenty years after that fateful fire, Kept Animals is “gorgeous, sensual...an event-packed novel of class, desire, [and] coming-of-age” (The New York Times Book Review).
Critic Reviews
"Narrator Rebecca Lowman ably depicts the volatile emotions engulfing three California families in the aftermath of a toddler's tragic death. This visceral coming-of-age story is enhanced by Lowman's keen characterizations and emotional acuity. The narrative alternates between 1993 and 2015, transporting listeners between Rory's seminal year on a horse ranch in California and her daughter Charlie's later probing into her mother's obscured past. Lowman's vocal range shifts easily between teenaged Rory and her stepfather, Gus, as they grapple with sexuality and alcoholism, respectively. Next-door neighbor Vivian, the daughter of largely absent parents, self-medicates after losing her brother. Racism and class differences also feature strongly as events develop. The story of the characters' increasingly interconnected lives culminates in a challenging conclusion."
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