Enter the Aardvark

Brought to you by Penguin. Only one thing stands between Alexander Paine Wilson and his destiny... and it has long ears, spoon-like claws and a tubular snout... Republican congressman Alexander Paine Wilson is determined that nothing will stop him in his campaign for re-election. Not the fact that he is a bachelor, not the fact that his main adversary Nancy Beavers - married, with children - is rising in the polls. Nothing. That is, until one hot day in August, he receives a large parcel via FedEx. Inside is a gigantic taxidermied aardvark. This aardvark has a surprising history - from the Victorian naturalist who discovered it to the taxidermist who deemed it his finest creation. But for Wilson, the entrance of the aardvark sets off a chain of events that threaten to ruin his entire career. Constantly surprising, brilliantly comic and piquantly provocative, Enter the Aardvark is a tale for our times, a biting satire with a tender underbelly. 'It's a long time since I have enjoyed a novel so much. Fresh, witty and smart it also has a heart. What more could you want?' KATE ATKINSON'Enter the Aardvark sizzles with uproarious fun, from its snout to the sting in its tale.' INDEPENDENT'The perfect tonic for testing times...deliciously astute, fresh and terminally funny' GUARDIAN'Spry, slim, clever...the inventiveness is impressive and the story has heart' THE SUNDAY TIMES'What begins as a topical takedown of the American political system deepens into a hugely enjoyable romp through history.' OBSERVER'Sharp, inventive and very funny, it's an entertainingly bizarre political satire.' TATLER'Old, dead creature brings down flash, vain senator... Out in front as the most fizzing and amusing novel of the year.' STRONG WORDS magazine'A blisteringly innovative and outrageous novel.' NY OBSERVER'Inventive and darkly funny...as Anthony connects characters from today with those from 19th-century England, she offers an original and unsettling lens through which to view male power as it has evolved over time.' TIME'Enter Jessica Anthony. With her highly inventive, ever attentive, and morally serious (as all great comedy must be) Enter the Aardvark, she estranges all over again our deplorable political moment, and thereby helps make it bearable.' JOSHUA FERRIS, author of THEN WE CAME TO THE END'Mischievously zoological and darkly satirical - a brilliant novel' JOHN IRONMONGER, author of NOT FORGETTING THE WHALE'A feverish, rollicking beast of a book. Totally assured, completely unpredictable, Jessica Anthony has created a true original.' SIMON WROE, author of CHOP CHOP and HERE COMES TROUBLE'The structure doesn't so much intrigue as ensnare you, weaving its cat's cradle of a plot as you lie there, strapped to a table.' LA TIMES'A wild ride and might just be the perfect antidote to the wild ride we're in in real life' ELECTRIC LIT'Weird, wonderful, and very much of the moment, Enter the Aardvark is a landmark political novel of the Trump era...With heart and humor, Anthony expertly skewers our current political climate.' ESQUIRE'This book is batshit insane and I love it.' LIT-HUB (c) Jessica Anthony 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2021