{"product_id":"its-hard-to-be-an-animal","title":"It's Hard to Be an Animal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of \u003ci\u003eShark Heart \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eHollow Kingdom\u003c\/i\u003e, 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. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStrolling 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. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen (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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCue 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":"Little, Brown \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57258231890264,"sku":"9781538773284","price":19.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781538773284_d5d21142-4525-4f41-958f-76d30261209b.jpg?v=1781037917","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/its-hard-to-be-an-animal","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}