First published 1995
Camille works as a keeper at the New Orleans zoo, caring for the big cats while living in poverty with her alcoholic mother. At nineteen, she feels despised and humiliated by her circumstances. Her colleague Ellen, a veterinarian at the same zoo, lives with her university professor husband Paul and their two daughters. Paul researches the historical case of a woman called the "panther woman," who was hanged for allegedly murdering her husband. Camille attempts to escape her miserable situation through a series of sexual encounters that only leave her nauseated and resigned. Gradually, she realizes her true attraction lies not with people but with the felines under her care. She develops an unusual ability to communicate with these animals, finding in them what human relationships cannot provide.
Genres: animals, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider-protagonist
Setting: New Orleans, Zoo
Period: Contemporary
312 pages · Paperback · Editorial Planeta