The God of Animals

How many times have you read a novel that you didn't think you would like, but ended up loving it? When Aryn Kyle's novel The God of Animals was released last year, it got wonderful reviews, but I didn't read it. A young girl coming of age on a horse ranch...eh. Not interested. But it was chosen for this month's book discussion, so I couldn't avoid it. I'm so glad, because I really enjoyed this novel. Twelve-year-old Alice Winston lives on her family's horse ranch in Colorado. Her 17-year-old sister has just run off to get married, her mother is shut up in her bedroom and her father is preoccupied with the struggling ranch. Alice's only friendship is an imagined relationship with a classmate who recently drowned. Although the plot is quite ordinary, the characters are not. Kyle has created very interesting and well-developed characters with a lot of depth to their relationships. I loved the main character, Alice. She is tough, smart, a bit of a smart mouth and felt very real to me. I won't give too much away, but there is no cliched happy ending to the story. Although I do like a nice happy ending, I appreciate that Kyle does not wrap everything up neatly with a pretty bow. It adds to the "realness" of the story. A great read, and a great book for discussion.