The next book to be featured on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is Human, Animal, the powerful and emotional debut novel by Seth Insua. The book is released on 20 February and Seth’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from 18 February.
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We have an exclusive extract available for you to read.
Human, Animal
Since the death of his brother, dairy farmer George Calvert has fought to keep the family business afloat. Worried about the future but resistant to change, he refuses to face the reality of his failing farm, his elderly mother’s declining health and his troubled relationship with his youngest son, Tom.
Newly returned from university, Tom isolates himself in his childhood bedroom, guarding the truth of his burgeoning identity.
When animal rights activists break into the cowshed one morning, Tom appears to side with the protesters. As the Calverts begin to unravel, a decades-old secret surfaces – one that might rip them apart completely, or finally unite them.
About the author
Seth Insua is an Anglo-Spanish writer and artist. He was born in Kent in 1989. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a First in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and The London Magazine’s Short Story Competition and was a semi-finalist in the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. He currently lives with his husband, David, between Newcastle upon Tyne and Madrid. Human, Animal is his first novel.
A word from Seth
“Being selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club has made my year… and it’s only January! I’m pinching myself that the Reading Agency, a team of librarians and other readers – proper bookworms, who know so much about stories – have got behind my debut novel like this. It’s a real honour. I’ve always felt at home in libraries and still remember my first visit, when I was just a few years old. Delighted with my beautiful stack of new books and not quite understanding the concept of borrowing, I promptly tore out all the date slips glued to the inside covers. Those books were mine! Over the years, I’ve discovered multiple new worlds in libraries, spent countless hours studying among friends. Just one more page. Just one more book. Libraries are magical places and I will always be grateful for what they’ve given me. What’s more, Human, Animal is an incredibly personal story, written from the heart, so to know that it’s reaching and touching readers means the world. I hope you have some great conversations about it! A million thank yous.”
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