New York - May 09, 2007

Get Your Goat

“Zoology,” by Ben Dolnick

You had questions, climbed the mountain, spoke to the sage old goat, saw your reflection, and turned around.

In the proverbial sense.

Henry Elinsky takes a similar path in Ben Dolnick’s coming-of-age novel, Zoology. After dropping out of college, the apathetic Henry moves to NYC and lands a job at the Central Park Zoo. So he doesn’t actually climb a mountain, but he does befriend a Nubian goat named Newman.

He spends his days scooping poop, wondering, “Is this it?” Yet his relationships with four-legged creatures are more fulfilling than his interactions with people (brother’s too distracted to relate, parents are on the verge of divorce, major crush keeps him at arm’s length).

The sad, funny, and ridiculous trials and tribulations of moving to the big city might remind you of when you first packed your bags and tried the same. Dreams of becoming a famous musician and living on a pizza-only diet sound vaguely familiar.

No, he doesn’t have the answers to life’s great questions. But he’ll remind you why you need to keep asking.

Available online at amazon.com.