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For Grady McClarty, an ever-watchful but bewildered five-year-old boy, World War II is only a troubling, ungraspable event that occurred before he was born. But he feels its effects all around him. He and his older brother Danny are fatherless, and their mother, Bethie, is still grieving for her fighter-pilot husband. Most of all, Grady senses it in his two uncles: young combat veterans determined to step into a fatherhood role for their nephews, even as they struggle with the psychological scars they carry from the war.
When news breaks that a leopard has escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo, the playthings and imagined fears of Grady’s childhood begin to give way to real-world terrors, most imminently the dangerous jungle cat itself. The Leopard Is Loose is a stunning encapsulation of America in the 1950s, and a moving portrait of a boy’s struggle to find his place in the world.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
January 18, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593454251
- File size: 179725 KB
- Duration: 06:14:25
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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November 29, 2021
Harrigan makes a welcome return to fiction after Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas with a deeply felt story inspired by a leopard that escaped from the Oklahoma City Zoo in 1952. Five-year-old Grady McClarty lives with his older brother, Danny, and their widowed mother. Grady is riveted by the press coverage of the missing leopard and is afraid of being attacked by it. He’s also puzzled by the behavior of his uncles, Emmett and Frank, combat veterans having trouble adjusting to civilian life. Frank drinks too much and gets fired from his car dealership job, while Emmett is stuck working as a draftsman when he’d prefer to be an artist. But the uncles dote on both boys, and when Grady suggests they join the leopard hunt, the men agree. Danny insists he sees the animal through some trees, and Emmett’s armed pursuit of what turns out to be a Black man’s dog inadvertently ignites the tensions that have been simmering in the city all summer. Though the racial issues are unsatisfyingly relegated to a plot point, Grady is an appealing narrator, and Harrigan elegantly conveys the strength of family bonds. Readers who can overlook a few narrative wobbles will find plenty of heart. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM Partners. -
Avuncular, husky-voiced George Guidall as the 5-year-old narrator of this audiobook seems an unusual choice--until you hear his engaging performance. In 1950, a leopard escaped from the Oklahoma zoo. Through adult Grady McClarty's remembrances of that day, we see the world through his 5-year-old eyes. Guidall miraculously disappears. He conveys Grady's and his 6-year-old brother Danny's confusion about what's going on around them, especially the bad behavior of their two uncles, WWII vets with PTSD. The leopard's escape launches a disorganized hunt full of Oklahomans with guns. Thanks to Guidall, Grady's memories are touchingly honest, innocent without being precious. Harrigan's perceptive writing encompasses a loving family, systemic racism, the consequences of war, and the mysteries of childhood. Guidall's sensitive performance makes this a memorable audiobook. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine -
March 1, 2022
Oklahoma City after World War II is fraught with racial tensions and a false sense of tranquility. When it's announced that a leopard has escaped from the local zoo, the city is gripped with fear and excitement. Five-year-old Grady McClarty and his older brother are equal parts terrified and intrigued, while their two uncles are excited at the prospect of bagging the wild animal. The war may have ended before Grady was born but he can feel its effects all around him, even if he can't understand it. His widowed mother, Bethie, is still grieving and fearful for her sons, and his two uncles are erratic and suffering from alcoholism and PTSD, yet still determined to act as father figures for their nephews. Told through Grady's naive and youthful view, Harrigan's (The Gates of the Alamo) latest shows what it's like to start viewing the world through a new lens. Segregation, postwar trauma, family dynamics, and the complexity of right versus wrong are digested piece by piece by Grady, who is the heart and soul of the novel. Wonderfully narrated by George Guidall, whose distinct voice brings authenticity and energy to young Grady. VERDICT This coming-of-age novel is filled with humanity, grief, possibility, and hope. Recommended for public library collections.--Erin Cataldi
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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