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Spiegel & Grau
September 2010
On Sale: September 7, 2010
320 pages ISBN: 0385523211 EAN: 9780385523219 Hardcover
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Fiction
Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationshipsβbut unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language. Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesnβt understand people, but animals she getsβespecially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than sheβs ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see whatβs really going on inside. When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and βliberatingβ the apes, Johnβs human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one heβll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggestβand unlikeliestβphenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John, a green-haired vegan, and a retired porn star with her own agenda. Ape House delivers great entertainment, but it also opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done, securing Sara Gruenβs place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before.
 Media BuzzOn Point - September 16, 2010
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