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The Things We Don't See
The Things We Don't See
Dec 28, 2025 3:15 AM

Author:Savannah Brown,Savannah Brown

The Things We Don't See

Brought to you by Penguin.

"The year is 1987 and the sleepy village of Sandown Bay is waking up . . ."

To its residents, Sandown is home - a tiny village holiday resort in the western United States.

To everyone else, it's a minuscule island, that brings tourists in summer and not a lot else the rest of the time.

To Mona Perry, it's a mystery.

Thirty-four years ago, promising singer and Sandown resident Roxy Raines went missing, and was never found. The people of the island are still reluctant to talk about it, claiming Roxy was simply a runaway, but the evidence doesn't quite add up.

Mona is convinced something else is going on. Armed only with a suitcase and a microphone - to record her findings for the general public - this runaway teenager is determined to get to the bottom of the disappearance.

But as Mona gets drawn deeper and deeper into the strange goings on of this isolated community, it is clear that nothing is as it seems - not even Mona's own past.

Some things are meant to disappear . . .

© Savannah Brown 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Reviews

If you are anything like me, you will end up loving the actual aardvark...and relish the world of taxidermy that Anthony brings to life. Enter the Aardvark sizzles with uproarious fun, from its snout to the sting in its tale.

—— INDEPENDENT

[An] ingenious political satire…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...Madcap and satirical without ever being flippant, Anthony’s novel is totally unrealistic yet completely truthful.

—— OBSERVER

Fresh, astute and mouthwateringly sharp, this is a rare thing; a political satire that tugs on the heartstrings in unconventional ways.

—— IRISH TIMES

‘Part 21st-century political satire, part unexpectedly affecting 19th-century love story…It’s every bit as strange as it sounds, and yet somehow it works: there’s a pleasing symmetry to the parallel plots, and Anthony’s writing is evocative enough to snare the imagination.'

—— DAILY MAIL

'Old, dead creature brings down flash, vain senator... Out in front as the most fizzing and amusing novel of the year.'

—— STRONG WORDS magazine

Jessica Anthony’s Enter the Aardvark was exactly the smart, funny and poignant pick-me-up that I needed…Anthony entwines her two narrative threads with seamless precision...Riotously entertaining’

—— i-news

Sharp, inventive and very funny, it’s an entertainingly bizarre political satire.

—— TATLER

‘A joyfully weird, compulsive political satire'

—— MAIL ON SUNDAY

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

‘Weird, wonderful, and very much of the moment, Enter the Aardvark is a landmark political novel of the Trump era.’

—— ESQUIRE.COM Best Books of 2020

The scope of Anthony’s imagination can sometimes beggar belief. What a mind she has. As the narrative twists between the past and the present, it seems like anything could happen at any time….a hilariously poisonous evisceration of the cowardly, disingenuous politicians running rampant through Trump’s Washington.

—— CULTUREFLY

‘Sometimes, a paragraph near the start of a novel is so perfect and funny that you read it over and over, laugh every time, and know you’re in for a treat…I'm loving it. Completely insane but utterly hilarious’

—— JOHN BOYNE

‘A curious, surprising and moving story about two men who— to put it one way — become involved with an aardvark and thereby condemn themselves to death.’

—— THE CRITIC

Like A.S. Byatt like with a demented sense of humor… [Jessica Anthony] holds up a funhouse mirror to our own political media in the age of spin…with sentences reminiscent of Joyce’s Dubliners and the later works of T. S. Eliot.

—— LA REVIEW OF BOOKS

A wild ride and might just be the perfect antidote to the wild ride we’re in in real life].

—— ELECTRIC LIT

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... “Enter the Aardvark” is brutally suited to our moment of absurd political theater.

—— LA TIMES

A blisteringly innovative and outrageous novel...If you're searching for a sharp, looking-glass view into the far end of contemporary politics, look no further. Jessica Anthony's novel has the pacing of a thriller with satirical verve of Nathanael West.

—— NY OBSERVER

'Enter the Aardvark is one wild ride: a condemnation, a haunting, a song of love, a madcap political thriller—and it is absolutely unputdownable.' LAURA VAN DEN BERG, author of THE THIRD HOTEL

—— LAURA VAN DER BERG, author of THR THIRD HOTEL

'Hilarious, moving, ingenious... Enter the Aardvark is an absolute original.'

—— BROCK CLARKE, author of WHO ARE YOU, CALVIN BLEDSOE?

Absolutely fascinating! If you're a fan of Jurassic Park, Tahereh Mafi & Marie Lu's work, then this is the perfect book for you!

—— A Bookish Star

I really liked this book. Right from the start the story drew me in . . . I can't wait for the next book

—— Mugful of Books

So enjoyable and a super fast read . . . Made me feel proud of being a STEM girl . . . Go read this book for the adventure and discovery!

—— REBIREADS

Now THIS is a book I really enjoyed . . . covers some really great themes that are both topical and interesting. Social psychology, anthropology, paleontology, bias, racism, ethics - it's got it all!

—— Horner's Book Corner

Fascinating . . . has twists & turns & even broke my heart into tiny little pieces. I'd recommend this to fans of the Hunger Games, Maze Runner & Ready Player One.

—— BOOKIEMAMABEAR

This Jurassic Park-esque concept grabbed me immediately . . . a fresh, gripping read with themes of suspense, trust, ethics and friendships

—— Book Phenomena

I absolutely devoured this book . . . Warren did a perfect job of pulling me in and answering some of my questions, but leaving enough of it unanswered so that I want more . . . and I definitely do! I can't wait for the next instalment!

—— Elle Reads Books

Hypnotising... you won't want to put it down until the very last page

—— Harper's Bazaar

You'll find sisterhood at the heart of this ambitious book

—— New York Times Book Review

Galgut is a terrifically agile and consistently interesting novelist, certain up there with Nadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee as a chronicler of his nation's anguished complexity

—— Jon Day , Guardian, *Book of the Week*

[A] magnificent new novel. Galgut sweeps his ruthlessly forensic gaze over each of the protagonists...as well as the country at large

—— Laura Battle , Financial Times, *Summer Reads of 2021*

Labelled a masterpiece and one of the best novels of the year within a week of publication... Galgut is on his finest form as he explores grief, despair and love in his inimitable style. Read this book if nothing else this year.

—— A Little Bird, *Summer Reads of 2021*

[A] gripping, profound tale... a damning commentary on South Africa's many broken promises

—— Economist

Ingenious... The most distinctive element of the novel, and its greatest pleasure, is the effortless way Galgut flows from mind to mind and body to body, whether male, female, pubertal, menopausal, maturing, ageing or dying. It's almost uncanny

—— Suzi Feay , Spectator

Surrender to the music of Galgut's prose, however, and the rewards are considerable

—— Max Liu , i

Excellent... The Promise is a powerful novel of character... [an] ambitious novel but, remarkably, Galgut rarely needs to strain for impact... his ability deftly to shift perspective from one character to the next creates a distinctive polyphonic effect

—— Alun David , Jewish Chronicle

A convincing and heartfelt novel

—— Eva Waite-Taylor , Independent

Politically chastening and technically superb. It's hard to see any novel beating it

—— Claire Allfree , Daily Telegraph

A powerful read

—— World of Cruising

This is the finest of all Damon Galgut's extraordinary novels. It reads as if the author has liberated himself from certain shackles he has needed in the past to convey the feelings of repression and social discomfort his people suffer... The writing - so impish, so playful - is a constant joy

—— Paul Bailey , Oldie

Vivid and suggestive, moving and often very funny

—— Alex Clark , Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year*

Damon Galgut is the most worthy winner of the Booker prize we've seen for many years... The book trembles in the hand with its political relevance

—— Rose Tremain , New Statesman, *Books of the Year*

A sobering allegory, to be sure, but also a giddy pleasure, thanks to Galgut's restlessly acrobatic narrative voice, which darts and zooms unpredictably around the action

—— Anthony Cummins , Daily Mail, *Christmas Gift Guide 2021*

One of the world's great writers

—— Critic, *Books of the Year*

A dazzling feat of kaleidoscopic storytelling

—— Claire Allfree , The Times, *Books of the Year*

I would have chosen this novel before it won the Booker... What makes it special is the humanity with which it is written and Galgut's cinematic prose, which shifts seamlessly from one perspective to the next

—— Elizabeth Day , i, *Book of the Year*

The Promise...is a remarkable tale of four generations of one South African family and of the country itself. Like his earlier books, it reveals him as a master of human complexity. No wonder it won the Booker

—— Joan Bakewell , Observer, *Books of the Year*

A complex, clever, wryly observant tale of one family's decline amid a nation's birth

—— Patricia Nicol , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*

[A] masterful, sweeping novel... a piercing dissection of a country at a decisive historical junction and the intersection of socio-political events and private life

—— Juanita Coulson , Lady, *Books of the Year*

The Promise is just 300 pages long, but Galgut shows his skills as a concise and piercing novelist by packing so much into this exceptional book

—— Martin Chilton , Independent, *Books of the Year*

A layered, clever and sometimes uncomfortable read, but with a gripping story

—— Claire Fuller , Daily Mail, *Books of the Year*

A remarkably successful combination of formal discipline and finely observed characterisation, it was a worthy winner of the 2021 Booker prize

—— Alun David , Jewish Chronicle, *Books of the Year*

The judges of this year's Booker prize rightly crowned this outstanding multigenerational saga... The morally chewy scenario is given extra zest by an acrobatic narrative voice full of trickery

—— Anthony Cummins , Metro, *Books of the Year*

The Promise...is mesmerising

—— Helena Morrisey , Daily Mail, *Books of the Year*

A joyful masterclass in fiction... a dizzying adventure that underlines one of the most appealing things about fiction: it is the closest we can ever get to inhabiting other perspectives

—— Susie Mesure , i

Inventive and full of energy

—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2022*

Gentle, precise, insightful, melancholy but warm

—— Shehan Karunatilaka, author of THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA , Daily Mail
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