Enter the Aardvark
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Founder | Jessica Anthony |
| Products | Satirical novel |
Enter the Aardvark is a satirical novel from the United States, authored by Jessica Anthony and published in 2020.
Plot summary
This work presents two intertwined narratives centered around a taxidermied aardvark and themes of concealed affection. One storyline follows Alexander Paine Wilson, a freshman congressman in contemporary Washington, D.C., who unexpectedly receives the stuffed aardvark via an enigmatic FedEx shipment, setting off a satirical sequence of events amid his campaign for reelection. The second narrative takes place in Victorian London and focuses on Titus Downing, the taxidermist responsible for preserving the aardvark originally. The parallel timelines uncover hidden connections and similarities between these two men.
Publication history
Enter the Aardvark was first published in hardcover format in the United States by Little, Brown and Company on March 24, 2020, followed by its release in the United Kingdom through Penguin Random House on April 23, 2020.
Literary criticism
The novel garnered favorable critiques from prominent publications such as The New York Times Book Review, Los Angeles Times, Time, The Guardian, Esquire, and Los Angeles Review of Books. Maggie Lange of the Los Angeles Times compared the book to works like Vladimir Nabokov's Pnin and political satires including HBO's Veep and Christopher Buckley's Thank You For Smoking.
Awards and recognition
The book was featured on multiple year-end reading lists, notably appearing on Time magazine's The 100 Must Read Books of 2020 as well as The A.V. Club's selection of 15 favorite books of 2020.