{"product_id":"9781538773284","title":"It's Hard to Be an Animal : A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor readers of Shark Heart and Hollow Kingdom, a funny, magical, and tender debut novel following a lonely, conflict-averse man whose sudden ability to understand animals sends him on a wild romp around NYC, and ultimately helps him discover his own voice. Strolling through Central Park on a blind date with the hilarious, irrepressible Molly Bent, Henry Parsons feels hopeful for the first time in years. He's even daring to wonder if he and Molly might have a future together... when a migratory warbler, the sweetest of little birds, tells him to f*** off. A gentle soul, troubled enough by the unkindness of fellow humans, Henry tries to brush the moment aside as a hallucination.  But soon he's hearing voices everywhere:  dogs mocking their owners, sparrows fat-shaming each other, police horses profiling attendees at a street fair - even a pontificating, misogynistic snake.  The man who never speaks up for himself is now besieged by animals who do.   When (inevitably) he overhears three rats discussing a corpse in the New York subway, he lets it slip to Molly. She's keen to investigate, and Henry's desperate for a second date, so he follows her nervously into an abandoned tunnel under the West Fourth Street Station.  There, sure enough, they find a body... and the murderers find them.   Cue the most terrifying week of this cautious man's life.  Inspiration and courage arrive, unexpectedly, from a pair of feuding betta fish and the neighbor's yapping Pomeranian - whose wisdom will transform both Henry and Molly forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Bookmonger","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":59749540168014,"sku":"9781538773284","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0874\/5795\/6174\/files\/9781538773284.jpg?v=1779811433","url":"https:\/\/thebookmongerbearsden.co.uk\/products\/9781538773284","provider":"The Bookmonger","version":"1.0","type":"link"}