On this installment of ST, we speak with an Austin-based writer whose well-regarded debut novel has recently appeared in paperback from Harper Perennial. Mary Helen Specht is our guest; her novel is called "Migratory Animals." It's a moving and vividly written book -- a narrative of timely ideas, entangled identities, and shifting viewpoints -- that digs deeply into the meaning of "home." As noted by a critic at The Boston Globe, this novel "brings to the page an astonishing admixture of ambitiousness, originality, and authority that's rare among established writers and exceptional for a first effort.... Richly layered and psychologically incisive, it is that rare first novel that leaves the reader clamoring for the next." And further, from Publishers Weekly: "Specht's vivid debut probes the nature of family, the notion of home, and the tender burdens of both.... [Her] distinctive prose -- rich with sharp observations, nimble language, and lyrical imagery -- makes the novel a quirky and memorable read." Also, please note that Specht will be reading from this novel, and talking about the creation of it, tonight (Monday the 28th) at 7pm here at TU. This event, which is free to the public, will happen in the McFarlin Library Faculty Study. (More on this event here.)
"Migratory Animals: A Novel" by Mary Helen Specht
