Informationen zum Autor Rachel Harrison is the author of Cackle and The Return , which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, and as an Audible Original. She lives in Western New York with her husband and their cat/overlord. Klappentext A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive USA Today bestselling novel from the author of Cackle and The Return . Rory Morris isn't thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby's father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she'd put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she's attacked. Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She's unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silverand suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She's changing into someone elsesomething else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she's putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance? This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability. Leseprobe I Moths flutter around the fluorescent bulb as it blinks into the dark outside the bar. I lean back and lift my gaze to the night. There's no light pollution out here, and the stars are fierce. The moon is full, so I give it a wink. Did you just wink at me? Ian's so tall he blocks out the moon. When he's in front of you, there's nothing else. He's all there is. I did wink, I say. But not at you. Sorry. All right, he says. Glad we cleared that up. Apologies for any confusion. He doesn't say anything else. He turns away from me to exhale, releasing a calm river of smoke toward the parking lot. Are you disappointed? I ask him. Did I give you false hope for a second there? Well, yeah, but I've had false hope since we were thirteen, so I'm used to it, he says, turning back toward the light so I can see his good-­natured grin. It's been so many years since I last saw that grin. My heart begins to thump mutinously inside my chest. Maybe his hope isn't false after all. All right, then. Time to go. I should head home. My sister will be jealous if she thinks I'm out having too much fun while she's stuck home. Sober. Tell Scarlett I say hello, he says. I will, I say, patting my pockets to check for my wallet, my keys. Happy we ran into each other. Good to see you. Yeah, he says. We should run into each other again while you're still in town. I search for a cool, noncommittal response among the assortment I store readily under my tongue. I fumble. My lips part but offer nothing. Or not, he says, shrugging his massive shoulders. He pushes his glasses up his nose, the same squarish black Ray-­Bans he wore in high school. Behind the thick lenses, his eyes are a striking, unusual blue. Cobalt. No, yeah, I stammer. I mean, yes. Of course. Horrifying. You good to drive? I can give you a ride, he says. I'm good. One beer. I can walk in a straight line for you, though, if you like. ABC's backwards. Could you? I'm shy. He laughs. All right. I take my car keys out of my pocket. I slip my index finger into the key ring and flip them around. Good night. Bye, Rory. I'm curious if he's watching me as I walk to my car. The restraint it takes to not sneak...

Autorentext

Rachel Harrison is the author of Cackle and The Return, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, and as an Audible Original. She lives in Western New York with her husband and their cat/overlord.

Zusammenfassung
A young woman in need of a transformation finds herself in touch with the animal inside in this gripping, incisive novel from the author of Cackle and The Return.

Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
 
Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She’s unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver—and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She’s changing into someone else—something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she’s putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?
 
This darkly comedic love story is a brilliantly layered portrait of trauma, rage, and vulnerability.

Leseprobe
I

Moths flutter around the fluorescent bulb as it blinks into the dark outside the bar. I lean back and lift my gaze to the night. There’s no light pollution out here, and the stars are fierce. The moon is full, so I give it a wink.

“Did you just wink at me?”

Ian’s so tall he blocks out the moon. When he’s in front of you, there’s nothing else. He’s all there is.

“I did wink,” I say. “But not at you. Sorry.”

“All right,” he says. “Glad we cleared that up.”

“Apologies for any confusion.”

He doesn’t say anything else. He turns away from me to exhale, releasing a calm river of smoke toward the parking lot.

“Are you disappointed?” I ask him. “Did I give you false hope for a second there?”

“Well, yeah, but I’ve had false hope since we were thirteen, so I’m used to it,” he says, turning back toward the light so I can see his good-­natured grin.

It’s been so many years since I last saw that grin. My heart begins to thump mutinously inside my chest. Maybe his hope isn’t false after all.

All right, then. Time to go.

“I should head home. My sister will be jealous if she thinks I’m out having too much fun while she’s stuck home. Sober.”

“Tell Scarlett I say hello,” he says.

“I will,” I say, patting my pockets to check for my wallet, my keys. “Happy we ran into each other. Good to see you.”

“Yeah,” he says. “We should run into each other again while you’re still in town.”

I search for a cool, noncommittal response among the assortment I store readily under my tongue. I fumble. My lips part but offer nothing.

“Or not,” he says, shrugging his massive shoulders. He pushes his glasses up his nose, the same squarish black Ray-­Bans he wore in high school. Behind the thick lenses, his eyes are a striking, unusual blue. Cobalt.

“No, yeah,” I stammer. “I mean, yes. Of course.”

Horrifying.

“You good to drive? I can give you a ride,” he says.

“I’m good. One beer. I can walk in a straight line for you, though, if you like. ABC’s backwards.”

“Could you?”

“I’m shy.”

He laughs.

“All right.” I take my car keys out of my pocket. I slip my index finger into the key ring and flip them around. “Good night.”

“Bye, Rory.”

I’m curious if he’s watching me as I walk to my car. The restraint it takes to not snea…