T. is a rising star in Los Angeles real estate—wealthy, ambitious, and always in control. Until he isn’t.
When his eccentric mother reappears after being abandoned by his newly-out father, T.’s tightly managed world begins to unravel. A suicide attempt, two sudden deaths, and a growing disillusionment with his newest project—a retirement community in the desert—leave him increasingly untethered.
Haunted by ecological collapse and personal guilt, T. develops an obsession with endangered animals, sneaking into zoos at night and questioning everything he’s built. His descent leads him far from the California sprawl and deep into a jungle river, where extinction, corruption, and redemption converge.
With sharp wit and aching humanity, Lydia Millet delivers a biting, surreal exploration of ambition, grief, and a world on the brink.
