by Sigrid Nunez
First published 2019
Mitz the marmoset arrives at the Woolf household weak and ill in 1934. Leonard nurses the small monkey back to health, and soon she becomes his constant companion, perched on his shoulder wherever he goes. The clever creature adapts to life shuttling between the Woolfs' London residence and their Sussex retreat. She forms bonds with the family's cocker spaniels and charms the literary luminaries who visit, including T. S. Eliot and Vita Sackville-West. When the Woolfs travel to Germany on the eve of World War II, Mitz helps them navigate a dangerous encounter with Nazi authorities. Through the monkey's perspective, the story captures the final years of the famous Bloomsbury circle, where creative brilliance mingles with personal struggles and the growing shadow of war.
Genres: animals, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate
Tropes: animal-companion, found-family
Setting: London, Sussex
Period: 1934, World War II
176 pages · Paperback · Soft Skull