The Better Animal A Novel
It is 2040, and the American presidential election is a fractured battle for democracy, held in the ruthless grip of an administration defined by corruption. In this turmoil, an unlikely new voice emerges: Kit, a candidate offering a platform of change and a truth that the nation has been desperate to hear.
At the heart of this fight are two men, Wing, a young scientist of exceptional intelligence, and Jake, an accomplished investigator and former top Presidential advisor. Drawn together by Kit, they fall in love, finding in her a singular companion whose heart and devotion reveal a new vision of what leadership could be. Now their journey has led to this moment: the day Kit steps forward to challenge a corrupt incumbent for the highest office in the land. But this is no ordinary contender. Offering to take the country on a path of redemption and empowered by a voice made possible through AI, Kit charts a new way forward as history's first dog to run for President.
With Jake and Wing helping to guide her campaign, the besieged nation listens to a truth never before heard from a human podium. Now, for the first time, America can hear a new language, with Kit herself leading the way.
The Better Animal Reviews
“The novel that can change our world— the profile in courage we need—right now.”
-PETER BERGEN, New York Times best-selling author and CNN Analyst
“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.
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