The Bobcat: A Novel** Longlisted for The Center for Fiction's best debut novel of 2019 ** With the hypnotic intensity of Emily Fridlund’s The History of Wolves and Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest, Katherine Forbes Riley has created a mesmerizing love story, in lush, gorgeous prose, that examines art, science, and the magic of human chemistry. "Teeming with lush imagery and mystical settings, and brimming with alluring magical realism, Riley’s tale is a beguiling journey of discovery and recovery.” — Booklist Haunting and lyrical, The Bobcat is Katherine Forbes Riley’s magical debut novel in which Laurelie, a young art student who suffers in the aftermath of a sexual assault, has grown progressively more isolated and fearful. She transfers from her busy city university to a small college in rural Vermont, where she retreats into her vivid imagination, experiencing the world through her art. Most comfortable in the company of the child for whom she babysits, and most at ease in the woods, Laurelie has shunned any connection with her peers. One day, while exploring the woods, she and her young charge encounter an injured pregnant bobcat – and the hiker who has been following it for hundreds of miles. In the hiker and his feline companion Laurelie recognizes someone as reclusive and wary as herself. The hiker, too, finds human companionship painful to endure, yet he is drawn to wounded Laurelie the way he is drawn to the bobcat. As Laurelie moves toward recovery and reconnection she also finds her voice as an artist, and a sense of purpose, maybe even a future, comes into sight. Then the child goes missing in the woods, threatening the bobcat, the hiker, and the fragile peace Laurelie has constructed. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Appalachian Trail arms began beneath bike birds boat bobcat body boy’s breath brushed closed cold cottage couldn’t curled dark deep dirt lane dog rose doll girl door drew eyes face father feel feet felt finally fingers flared floor forest front gaze girl green grew hadn’t hair hands he’d head heard hiker hiker stood hot chocolate imagined immune system infection inside landlady landlord Laurelie Laurelie’s legs light looked mind Montague morning mother mouth moved night nodded nose nostrils once pack panels pine porch pulled pulse pushed reached rocks Scottie seemed shoulders side skin slow slowly smelled smiled soft sound stairs stared stayed stood stopped sugar maples they’d things thought bubbles tiny told took touch tourtière trail trees truck turned virologist virus voice walked wall wanted wasn’t watched whale song window woman woods yards