HOUSTON — Chris Cander was first a reader of books At the age of 10, she published her first poem and won a regional creative writing contest. As a teen and early 20s she wrote stories. Then she wrote non-fiction during her 30s. When Cander started her first novel, at age 37, she realized that was where she wanted to focus her literary energy. She's now 54 and has just released her fifth novel.
"Shocking family secrets have the power to destroy–or unite–an estranged mother and daughter in an emotional and gripping novel by the author of A Gracious Neighbor.
Mayree and Paula are a mother and daughter drifting apart, separated by grief and more, after the death of Mayree's husband.
Mayree faces a future with no income, career, or social life. Even ties with her best friend have been severed. Paula, feeling abandoned by the father she loved, is left with only a bitter mother. When Paula reveals that she narrowly escaped a violent assault, Mayree's initial reaction is dismissal and disbelief. But as details unfold, it's clear that it was real and not just one random night gone horribly wrong–someone is out to destroy their lives.
With each new threat from Paula's assailant, harrowing family secrets reemerge that force the mother and daughter to confront the shared traumas of their pasts. Drawing on courage and hope, they must save the relationship they never realized they'd lost.
Reflective, suspenseful, and moving, The Young of Other Animals explores the psychic intergenerational damages that can alter relationships with loved ones forever."
MEET AUTHOR, CHRIS CANDER
Brazos Bookstore is hosting Cander on tonight (Thursday, February 1) at 6:30 p.m. Cander will be in conversation with Maggie Galehouse.