I loved this book so much! It was so much more than I ever imagined!

I am glad to see it getting good reviews - I happen to be from Los Angeles, and lived near Griffith Park (where the book takes place), when GP was home to the famed mountain lion, P-22. This book never says P-22 and goes off track a bit from total reality (in a glorious way), but it was obviously inspired by the story of P-22. So, I’m glad people who maybe aren’t familiar with the inspiration, are still appreciating it.

P-22 did get international fame, because his story was endearing - a story of survival, but also sad. A lone lion, one of the noblest of wild animals, managing to cross multiple freeways in one of the busiest cities in the US, (with probably the worst drivers), and stumbling into a massive city park where all the hipsters and tourists like to hike, and take Instagram photos. The true story is a great representation of the fact that humans take up too much space and nature is struggling to adapt - and also, humans, in general, don’t care. LA is still dealing with this, since we have mountains everywhere - there was just a viral instance of a coyote surviving on the streets for a year after being shot in the face by someone. And in our own neighborhood there was a bear struggling with an arrow sticking out of it. At some point, people stopped seeing it. It probably finally died. In a way, I hope it did, so it no longer had to suffer.

When P-22 was around (before succumbing to injuries after being hit by a car), someone ran a social media account for him, as if it was his own account. Whoever ran it, had a great sense of humor - and it just added to appreciation for this lonely guy who somehow got trapped in Hollywood.

Anyway, the book IS fiction - but just had to comment on the obvious inspiration with the backstory. It captured the issue so well. At times, the book crossed over into the absurd - but it still captured the reality of the situation so well. The more absurd, the more realistic it seemed. Turning it into fiction, it could be hilarious - but also, incredibly tragic.

I read it in one sitting, and in that time, I laughed, and I cried. Since it was so short, I am looking forward to reading it again!