SPEED READING: Open Throat / Henry Hoke
Open Throat
Henry Hoke
MCD
Review by
Noah Sanders
Welcome to Speed Reading, our fast, occasionally flippant, review column where we attempt to spread the love of a recent new release in a very short amount of time. We’ll take the time to find some incredible books, you spend your time reading some incredible books.
So, what’s Open Throat about?
On the surface it’s a depiction of a few short, super traumatic days from the viewpoint of a queer mountain lion roaming the hills of Los Angeles. Dig a little deeper and it’s about identity, climate change, the fallible nature of even our best interests and so much more. But mostly, it’s about an extremely likable, extremely dangerous, extremely large cat that occasionally dreams about Disneyland.
And, who’s the author?
Henry Hoke. This is Hoke’s fifth book and though I haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of his other work, they all seem to exist on the periphery of wild experimentation. Sticker is about, well, stickers. The Groundhog Forever features The Divine Bill Murray as a character. You get the picture.
Check out his short story “I’m Going To Kill You And Eat Your Food” published at Triangle House. It’s definitely weird.
What’s a single reason to read Open Throat?
The queer mountain lion who narrates Open Throat is a wonderfully unique creation. He might eat you, but his emotional range bends towards love.
What are a few more reasons to read Open Throat?
As someone who usually balks at the idea of reading anything he would describe as “wild experimentation”, Open Throat is, somehow, both experimental and downright entertaining. Hoke has managed to imbue the large, queer cat at the center of his story with a dryly, laconic sense of humor and a gentle warmth while never failing to remind us that this is a very big, very dangerous creature.
Hoke has–in easily digested, almost poetic chunks–created a story that’ll pull on your heart strings and make you chuckle while subtly dragging your face through the cold, hard reality of how shitty (and, admittedly, wonderful) human beings can be.
If you are looking for a shorter read that still packs a wallop, Open Throat has you covered. It’s 176 pages and features forest fires, maulings and a dream-trip to The Magic Kingdom.
If you’re a fan of these books, you should give Open Throat a chance:
Lincoln in the Bardo / George Saunders
Afterparties / Anthony Veasna So
Bliss Montage / Ling Ma
A Small Taste of Open Throat:
the woman claps her hands and says yeah I thought I was totally over brunch but I guess I’m not
