The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals: A Novel

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From the winner of the 2016 Flannery OConnor Award for Short Fiction comes a tender and funny debut novel, set over one emotionally charged weekend at an animal sanctuary in western Kansas, where maternal, romantic, and community bonds are tested in the wake of an estranged daughters homecoming.

The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is in trouble.

Its late 2016 when Ariel discovers that her mother Monas animal sanctuary in Western Kansas has not only been the target of anti-Semitic hate crimesbut that its also for sale, due to hidden financial ruin. Ariel, living a new life in progressive Lawrence, and estranged from her mother for six long years, knows she has to return to her childhood homeespecially since her own past may have played a role in the attack on the sanctuary. Ariel expects tension, maybe even fury, but she doesnt anticipate that her first love, a ranch hand named Gideon, will still be working at the Bright Side.

Back in Lawrence, Ariels charming but hapless fianc, Dex, grows paranoid about her sudden departure. After uncovering Monas address, he sets out to confront Ariel, but instead finds her grappling with the life shes abandoned. Amid the reparations with her mother, its clear that Ariel is questioning the meaning of her life in Lawrence, and whether she belongs with Dex or with someone else, somewhere else.

Acclaimed writer Pam Houston says that Mandelbaum is wise beyond her years and twice as talented, and The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals poignantly explores the unique love and tension between mothers and daughters, and humans and animals alike. Perceptive and funny, moving and eloquent, and ultimately buoyant, Mandelbaum offers a panoramic view of family and forgiveness, and of the meaning of home. Her debut reminds us that love provides refuge, and underscores our similarities as human beings, no matter how alone or far apart we may feel.

Reviews

"With heart, precision, and a fresh, resilient humor, The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals reveals the complicated connections between people and animals alike. . . . Mandelbaum is wise beyond her years and twice as talented. Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted and Cowboys Are My Weakness
"A story of reconciliation and forgiveness (and so many animals!) in the assured hand of a writer who understands that the hardest journeys we undertake are the ones in search of home." Steven Rowley, bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor
"A nuanced first novel... A timeless tale dressed in contemporary garb... A wise, big-hearted debut from a talented young writer." MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

"Mandelbaums heartwarming and sharp-witted debut features an estranged mother and daughter better at connecting with injured and abandoned animals than with each other... In Mandelbaums bighearted, emotionally intelligent tale, the love for animals proves irresistible."Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Attention animal lovers, nature lovers, literary loversthe Flannery OConnor Award-winning author Becky Mandelbaum has written a book just for you. The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is characterized by love the size of the Kansas sky, an indelible attachment to home, and enough dogs to comfort you through the complexities of a Trump administration." Chicago Review of Books
"Warm-hearted...[A] tale of misplaced feelings and misunderstood souls that is chiefly characterized by home, irresistible animals, and the forgiving of old rifts. Mothers and daughters reunite, and dogs seal the deal, in a feel-good charmer."
Kirkus Reviews

"This first novel is finely rendered, lightly dashed with humor, and littered with lots of animals." Booklist

"Witty and original." The National Book Review

Author Bio

Becky Mandelbaum is the author ofBad Kansas, winner of the 2016 Flannery OConnor Award for Short Fiction and the 2018 High Plains Book Award for First Book. Her work has appeared inOne Story,The Sun,The Missouri Review,The Georgia Review,Electric Literature, McSweeneys Internet Tendency,and has been featured onMedium. She has received fellowships from Writing by Writers, a residency from The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and has taught at Seattles Hugo House.Originally from Kansas, she currently lives in Washington State.The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animalsis her first novel.