Audrey Schulman

The Philip K. Dick Award–winning sci-fi novel: “A riveting page-turner” about the behavior of primates—human and otherwise—“in a very near and dire future” (The Washington Post). Winner of the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Speculative Fiction One of The Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of fiction in 2018 In a world where coastal cities flood, dust storms plague the Midwest, and implants connect humans directly to the Web, Dr. Francine Burk has broken new ground in the study of primate sexuality. While in recovery from a long-needed surgery—paid for with a portion of her McArthur “genius” award money—Frankie is offered placement at a prestigious research institute where she can verify her subversive scientific discovery: her Theory of Bastards. Leaving Manhattan for a research campus outside Kansas City, Frankie finds that the bonobos she’s studying are complex, with distinct personalities. She comes to know them with the help of her research partner, a man with a complicated past and perhaps a place in her future. But when the entire campus is caught in a sudden emergency, the lines between subject and scientist—and between colleague and companion―begin to blur. Audrey Schulman Award–winning novel explores the nuances of communication, the implications of unquestioned technological advancement, and the enduring power of love in a way that is essential and urgent in today’s world.

Theory of Bastards

Based on the true story of the 1965 "dolphin house" experiment, this spellbinding novel captures the tenor of the social experiments of the 1960's in award-winning author Audrey Schulman's modern, feminist style. It is 1965, and Cora, a young deaf woman, buys a one-way ticket to the island of St. Thomas, where she discovers four dolphins held in captivity as part of an experiment led by the obsessive Dr. Bloom. Drawn by a strong connection to the dolphins, Cora falls in with the scientists and discovers her need to protect the animals. Recognizing Cora's knack for communication, Bloom uses her for what will turn into one of the most fascinating experiments in modern science: an attempt to teach the dolphins human language by creating a home in which she and they can live together. As the experiment progresses, Cora forges a remarkable bond with the creatures, until her great instincts clash with the male-dominated world of science. As a terrible scandal threatens to engulf the experiment, Cora's fight to save the dolphins becomes a battle to save herself.

The Dolphin House

Beryl, a nature photographer sent to northern Canada to photograph polar bears, finds her strength tested when she and a group of men meet disaster and face nature's cruelty. A first novel. 25,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo.

The Cage

In 1899 Jeremy, a young engineer, leaves a small town in Maine to oversee the construction of a railroad across British East Africa. In charge of hundreds of Indian laborers, he becomes the reluctant hunter of two lions that are killing his men in nightly attacks on their camp. Plagued by fear, wracked with malaria, and alienated by a secret he can tell no one, he takes increasing solace in the company of an African man who scouts for him. In 2000 Max, an American ethnobotonist, travels to Rwanda in search of an obscure vine that could become a lifesaving pharmaceutical. Stationed in the mountains, she shadows a family of gorillas—the last of their group to survive the merciless assault of local poachers. Max bears a striking gift for communicating with the apes. But soon the precarious freedom of both is threatened as a violent rebel group from the nearby Congo draws close. Told in alternating perspectives that interweave the two characters and their fates, Audrey Schulman’s newest novel deftly confronts the struggle between progress and preservation, idiosyncrasy and acceptance. Evoking both Barbara Kingsolver and Andrea Barrett, this enthralling fiction, wise and generous, explores some of the crucial social and cultural challenges that, over the years, have come to shape our world. The engaging story and memorable characters make this fine novel an ideal book club selection.

Three Weeks in December

The awkward child of a famous physician and a beautiful ballerina, Jane Guy journeys to Indonesia to attend medical school at a teaching facility that uses psychological abuse to motivate its students, and finds her only solace in Keefer, a fellow student who keeps a captive shark as a pet. Reprint.

Audrey Schulman

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