Please join us on the Glou patio in celebration of Fiona Warnick’s debut novel The Skunks, out May 7th via Tin House Books! Fiona will read from her new novel, followed by a conversation with fellow local author Annie Hartnett. There will be an audience Q&A, book signing, and plenty of time to eat, drink (non-alcoholic beverages available and adored), and socialize with your fellow book lovers :-)
ABOUT THE SKUNKS
From the outside, Isabel doesn't seem to have much going on. It's the summer after college graduation and she's moved back to her hometown, where she spends her days house-sitting, babysitting, working the front desk at a yoga studio, and hanging out with her childhood friend Ellie. But on the inside, Isabel's mind is always running, always analyzing, and right now, she's trying hard to not let her thoughts give weight to boys. So when Isabel spots three baby skunks in the yard, their presence is not only a strangely thrilling break from the expected, it feels like a fortuitous sign from the universe. Skunks. That's what she should be thinking about.
As the summer unfolds, Isabel becomes increasingly preoccupied with the skunks, while also navigating her various jobs and an ambiguous relationship with Eli, the son of the couple she's house-sitting for. In her own life and in the imagined inner lives of the skunks, Isabel ponders the nature of existence, love vs. infatuation, and the many small moments that make us animal, make us human. The Skunks is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about the complexities of crushes, desire, friendship, and modern life.
ABOUT FIONA WARNICK
Fiona Warnick grew up in Western Massachusetts and holds a BA in Creative Writing from Oberlin College, where she won the Emma Howell Poetry Prize. She teaches preschool in Providence, RI. The Skunks is her first novel.
ABOUT ANNIE HARTNETT
Annie Hartnett is the author of novels RABBIT CAKE (Tin House Books, 2017) and UNLIKELY ANIMALS (Ballantine/Random House, 2022).
Unlikely Animals was listed as one of the best books of 2022 by the Washington Post and BookRiot. It was the winner of the 2023 Julia Ward Howe prize for fiction, and was longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. It was the April 2022 book club selection for Good Housekeeping magazine and Amerie’s Book club. It received starred reviews from Booklist and Bookpage, and was an April Indie Next pick.
Rabbit Cake was listed as one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2017, was a finalist for the New England Book Award, an Indies Introduce and an Indie Next Pick, and was long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. It received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal, and was People magazine's Book of the Week.