“Part grounded speculative fiction, part LGBTQ+ love story, part political exposé, and right now all too realistic, there could be no more profound allegory and ultimately redemptive vision of America’s political future than THE BETTER ANIMAL.

“Ballen, a gay author, risked his life by exposing the persecution of gays in the Middle East in his first book. He has shown the same courage here, with an unflinching account of overcoming persecution and oppression and offering a rare promise of hope.”

-JOSEPH KERTES, Winner of the Harbourfront Festival Prize as Canada’s most outstanding author.