kimikat's Book Journey

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!

“I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.”

Yes. Call us out.

I went into Open Throat knowing absolutely nothing other than “mountain lion protagonist,” and I’m honestly so glad I did. I finished this in one sitting and immediately decided I need to buy my own copy so I can scribble all over it. 🙂‍↕️ I also NEED to reread this with the audio because I feel like hearing this story would give me a completely different experience.

What I loved most was watching the lion try to understand the human world while also becoming more aware of how humans understand them. There’s so much here about identity, shame, belonging, and the strange space between being free and being allowed to exist only within certain boundaries.

The lion being labeled as queer also added a layer I found really interesting. I didn’t read it as simply being about the lion’s sexuality. It felt much more connected to the idea of being considered “other,” being put into categories by people who have already decided what you are, and what happens when you start internalizing those expectations.

I also loved how the book keeps blurring that line between human and animal. The lion is obviously not human, but somehow they made me look at human behavior differently. Some of our systems and social rules feel pretty ridiculous when you step outside of them for a minute.

The writing is strange, sparse, and completely its own thing. I loved how much personality came through in such a limited form, and the format felt very stream-of-consciousness, which made the whole experience feel incredibly intimate.

My only complaint is that I wanted MORE. I could have spent so much longer with this lion. But apparently Hoke decided this was all I’d get. Frankly, rude.

Anyway. Read the weird mountain lion book. Trust me.

Do it.

“I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.”

Yes. Call us out.

I went into Open Throat knowing absolutely nothing other than “mountain lion protagonist,” and I’m honestly so glad I did. I finished this in one sitting and immediately decided I need to buy my own copy so I can scribble all over it. 🙂‍↕️ I also NEED to reread this with the audio because I feel like hearing this story would give me a completely different experience.

What I loved most was watching the lion try to understand the human world while also becoming more aware of how humans understand them. There’s so much here about identity, shame, belonging, and the strange space between being free and being allowed to exist only within certain boundaries.

The lion being labeled as queer also added a layer I found really interesting. I didn’t read it as simply being about the lion’s sexuality. It felt much more connected to the idea of being considered “other,” being put into categories by people who have already decided what you are, and what happens when you start internalizing those expectations.

I also loved how the book keeps blurring that line between human and animal. The lion is obviously not human, but somehow they made me look at human behavior differently. Some of our systems and social rules feel pretty ridiculous when you step outside of them for a minute.

The writing is strange, sparse, and completely its own thing. I loved how much personality came through in such a limited form, and the format felt very stream-of-consciousness, which made the whole experience feel incredibly intimate.

My only complaint is that I wanted MORE. I could have spent so much longer with this lion. But apparently Hoke decided this was all I’d get. Frankly, rude.

Anyway. Read the weird mountain lion book. Trust me.

Do it.

“I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.”

Yes. Call us out.

I went into Open Throat knowing absolutely nothing other than “mountain lion protagonist,” and I’m honestly so glad I did. I finished this in one sitting and immediately decided I need to buy my own copy so I can scribble all over it. 🙂‍↕️ I also NEED to reread this with the audio because I feel like hearing this story would give me a completely different experience.

What I loved most was watching the lion try to understand the human world while also becoming more aware of how humans understand them. There’s so much here about identity, shame, belonging, and the strange space between being free and being allowed to exist only within certain boundaries.

The lion being labeled as queer also added a layer I found really interesting. I didn’t read it as simply being about the lion’s sexuality. It felt much more connected to the idea of being considered “other,” being put into categories by people who have already decided what you are, and what happens when you start internalizing those expectations.

I also loved how the book keeps blurring that line between human and animal. The lion is obviously not human, but somehow they made me look at human behavior differently. Some of our systems and social rules feel pretty ridiculous when you step outside of them for a minute.

The writing is strange, sparse, and completely its own thing. I loved how much personality came through in such a limited form, and the format felt very stream-of-consciousness, which made the whole experience feel incredibly intimate.

My only complaint is that I wanted MORE. I could have spent so much longer with this lion. But apparently Hoke decided this was all I’d get. Frankly, rude.

Anyway. Read the weird mountain lion book. Trust me.

Do it.

“I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.”

Yes. Call us out.

I went into Open Throat knowing absolutely nothing other than “mountain lion protagonist,” and I’m honestly so glad I did. I finished this in one sitting and immediately decided I need to buy my own copy so I can scribble all over it. 🙂‍↕️ I also NEED to reread this with the audio because I feel like hearing this story would give me a completely different experience.

What I loved most was watching the lion try to understand the human world while also becoming more aware of how humans understand them. There’s so much here about identity, shame, belonging, and the strange space between being free and being allowed to exist only within certain boundaries.

The lion being labeled as queer also added a layer I found really interesting. I didn’t read it as simply being about the lion’s sexuality. It felt much more connected to the idea of being considered “other,” being put into categories by people who have already decided what you are, and what happens when you start internalizing those expectations.

I also loved how the book keeps blurring that line between human and animal. The lion is obviously not human, but somehow they made me look at human behavior differently. Some of our systems and social rules feel pretty ridiculous when you step outside of them for a minute.

The writing is strange, sparse, and completely its own thing. I loved how much personality came through in such a limited form, and the format felt very stream-of-consciousness, which made the whole experience feel incredibly intimate.

My only complaint is that I wanted MORE. I could have spent so much longer with this lion. But apparently Hoke decided this was all I’d get. Frankly, rude.

Anyway. Read the weird mountain lion book. Trust me.

Do it.