The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals: A Novel
Written by Becky Mandelbaum
Narrated by Tim Paige, Rebekkah Ross and Gabra Zackman
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is in trouble.
It’s late 2016 when Ariel discovers that her mother Mona’s animal sanctuary in Western Kansas has not only been the target of anti-Semitic hate crimes—but that it’s 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 home—especially since her own past may have played a role in the attack on the sanctuary. Ariel expects tension, maybe even fury, but she doesn’t anticipate that her first love, a ranch hand named Gideon, will still be working at Bright Side.
Back in Lawrence, Ariel’s charming but hapless fiancé, Dex, grows paranoid about her sudden departure. After uncovering Mona’s address, he sets out to confront Ariel, but instead finds her grappling with the life she’s abandoned. Amid the reparations with her mother, it’s clear that Ariel is questioning the meaning of her life in Lawrence, and whether she belongs with Dex or 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. “A story of reconciliation and forgiveness (and so many animals)” (Steven Rowley, bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus), Mandelbaum’s debut offers a panoramic view of the meaning of home and reminds us that love provides refuge, and underscores our similarities as human beings, no matter how alone or far apart we may feel.
Becky Mandelbaum
Becky Mandelbaum is the author of Bad Kansas, winner of the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the 2018 High Plains Book Award for First Book. Her work has appeared in One Story, The Sun, The Missouri Review, The Georgia Review, Electric Literature, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and has been featured on Medium. She has received fellowships from Writing by Writers, a residency from The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, and has taught at Seattle’s Hugo House. Originally from Kansas, she currently lives in Washington State. The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals is her first novel.
Related to The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals
Related audiobooks
Lily and the Octopus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Are Called to Rise: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There Are No Rules For This: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSisters One, Two, Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Other People's Pets: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Close Enough to Touch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Drop in the Ocean: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dog Went Over the Mountain: Travels With Albie: An American Journey Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Tiny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Malagash Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost & Found: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5142 Ostriches Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Apology Project: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Clan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Summer We Fell Apart: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Own the Sky Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Floating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shore Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kept Animals: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Will Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rumours Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Dance With the White Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Like Wind Against Rock: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ginny Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet's Journey with an Exceptional Labrador Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Honestly, We Meant Well: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Happy to Be Here: Selected Facebook Posts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rosie Colored Glasses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Literary Fiction For You
A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Copperhead: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hunger Games Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Covenant of Water Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tom Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Measure: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House in the Cerulean Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Parable of the Sower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yellowface: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dutch House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kindred Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Nothing to See Here Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of Achilles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals
10 ratings0 reviews