Lydia Millet Libri

Lions, rabbits, monkeys, pheasants—all have shared the spotlight and tabloid headlines with famous men and women. Sharon Stone’s husband’s run-in with a Komodo dragon, Thomas Edison’s filming of an elephant’s electrocution and David Hasselhoff’s dogwalker all find a home in Love in Infant Monkeys. At the rare intersections of wilderness and celebrity, Lydia Millet hilariously tweaks these unholy communions to run a stake through the heart of our fascination with pop icons and the culture of human self-worship.In much fiction, animals exist as author stand-ins—or even more reductively as symbols of good and evil. In Millet’s ruthless, lucid prose—each story based on a news item, biography, or other fact-based account of a celebrity-animal relationship—animals are as complex and rich as our imaginings of them. In these spiraling fictional riffs and flounces on real life, animals show up their humans as bloated with foolishness and yet curiously vulnerable—as in a tour-de-force, Kabbalah-infused interior monologue by Madonna after she shoots a pheasant on her English estate.

The stunning new novel from the author of the National Book Award-finalist A Children's Bible

A Children’s Bible follows a group of twelve eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion. Contemptuous of their parents, the children decide to run away when a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, embarking on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside. Lydia Millet’s prophetic and heartbreaking story of generational divide offers a haunting vision of what awaits us on the far side of Revelation.

Exploring themes of isolation and the mundane, the narrative follows Oppenheimer during his first day at a motel, where he becomes engrossed in television. His discovery of the remote and the mysterious telephone hints at a deeper exploration of technology and communication. The setting serves as a backdrop for introspection, reflecting on Oppenheimer's complex character and the weight of his historical legacy. The story intertwines personal experience with broader existential questions.

The story follows Hal, an IRS bureaucrat, who is perplexed by his wife's fixation on her missing employer. In a drunken moment, he sets off on a surreal tropical adventure to locate the man, leading to an unexpected affair with a captivating German woman. Lydia Millet crafts a beautifully written narrative that explores themes of parenthood's emotional complexities and the quirks of human behavior, making for an engaging and insightful read.

An only child in a typical middle-American family, T is unusual only in his interest in, and talent for, making money. But when events conspire to leave T isolated again he starts to lose faith in people and civilisation and turns to nature instead, developing a strange and powerful obsession with endangered animals...

The story follows a diverse cast, including a sex-obsessed pornographer, a hygienic Christian Scientist, a melancholic beauty, and a teenage math prodigy, as they navigate the streets of contemporary Los Angeles. Their humorous journey intertwines their unique perspectives in a quest for answers to life's profound questions, blending comedy with existential exploration.

Set against the backdrop of the George Bush years, the narrative follows a charming and quirky ex-con who embarks on a mission to win the attention of the President. With a sardonic tone, the story explores themes of ambition and the absurdities of political life through the eyes of a relatable and endearing protagonist. The unique perspective adds humor and depth to the exploration of personal desires intertwined with the broader political landscape.

Lydia Millets chilling new novel is a double-edged and satisfying story with a strong female protagonist, a thrilling plot and a creeping sense of the apocalyptic, Sweet Lamb of Heaven builds to a shattering ending with profound implications for its charactersand for all of us.

Set in a post-pandemic America, the collection explores the lives of families, couples, and individuals navigating their complex interactions in a world filled with artificial beauty and modern distractions. The stories unfold in diverse settings, from tech-bro mansions to medieval role-playing festivals, revealing the characters' collisions, confessions, and conflicts. With a blend of humor and insight, the author examines how people fool themselves amidst the absurdities of contemporary life.