Human, Animal

Seth Insua

ISBN 10: 0857308890 / ISBN 13: 9780857308894

Published by Verve Books, GB, 2025

About this Item

Dairy farmer George Calvert is fighting to keep the family business afloat. Worried about the future but resistant to change, he refuses to face the reality of his failing farm, his elderly mother's declining health and his troubled relationship with his youngest son, Tom. Newly returned from university, Tom isolates himself in his childhood bedroom, guarding the truth of his burgeoning identity. When animal rights activists break into the cowshed one morning and Tom appears to side with the protesters, father and son lock horns. As the Calverts begin to unravel, a decades-old secret surfaces - one that might rip them apart completely, or finally unite them. A deeply moving debut about one family's struggle to find connection in a rapidly changing world, Human, Animal is an ode to the wild, a journey of self-discovery and a hopeful path to common ground.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780857308894

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Human, Animal
• Publisher: Verve Books, GB
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0857308890
• ISBN 13: 9780857308894
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Human, Animal is an ode to the wild, an elegy for what we have lost and a reproof of our society's inability to find common ground. Since the death of his brother, veteran dairy farmer George has been struggling to keep the family business afloat. His troubles only worsen when animal rights activists descend on his cowshed one morning to film content for their social media. The fallout is unprecedented, especially as George's youngest child appears to side with the activists. As the family navigate the real-world consequences of going viral, George's elderly mother sleepwalks back to her youth, and a secret she has carried with her for decades - one that could change everything for them all. A revealing debut novel about the importance of connection in a divided world, exploring themes of family, identity, the enduring effects of conflict and the friction between tradition and progress - from land use and animal rights, to gender, sexuality and relationships. Human, Animal is perfect for fans of Pity by Andrew McMillan, Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson and The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Rijneveld.

About the Author

Seth Insua is an Anglo-Spanish writer and artist. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a First in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and The London Magazine's Short Story Competition and was a semi-finalist in the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. He currently lives with his husband, David, between Newcastle upon Tyne and Madrid. Human, Animal is his first novel.