In a world where the ordinary is unsettling and the grotesque is exquisite, a parade of animals shows us what it means to be human. Examining the traits and fates of cats and snakes illuminates our own experience; from desire and impulse to cruelty and love. In each tightly woven tale, Nettel creates a space in which her characters feel excruciatingly human, exploring how the wounds we incur in life manifest themselves irrevocably within us.