A Good Animal

Maurer’s dazzling debut chronicles a boy’s coming-of-age in rural Michigan. Everett, born into a sheep farming clan in Sault Ste. Marie, plans to spend the rest of his life on his family’s land, which goes back generations. He’s 17 in 1995 when he meets Mary, the daughter of a Coast Guard officer, who’s lived in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Puerto Rico. Living in town for her senior year in high school, Mary has her sights set on leaving what she perceives as a stultifying rural community for art school in California. The author paints a tender portrait of their growing romance against the backdrop of the myriad travails of sheep farming. Everett is a thoughtful soul and Mary finds him delightful, but when she gets pregnant, their plans go awry. Maurer’s artful prose evokes the characters’ deep feelings for each other as well as a strong sense of place (“Her braids caught the wind and blew out behind her like kite tails”). Along the way, she builds tension as Everett tries to convince Mary to give up her dreams and spend her life with him. The result is a deeply felt examination of the heartbreaking choices people make for love. Agent: Carrie Howland and Zoe-Aline Howard, Howland Lterary. (Feb.)