Alan Johnson is a man ill-at-ease among people and only slightly more comfortable with animals. His story begins in upstate New York when, while walking through a gorge, he sees a dog fall from the cliff above and comes to her rescue. He interprets the incident as a sign. The dog heals and is returned to her neglectful owner, but Alan Johnson steals her back and heads west in search of what it means to be human. As he crosses the United States, he moves through landscapes full of animals half-tamed and people run wild. They are carnival wolves, manifestations of our attempts to tame what is dangerous and wild, distorted reflections of parts of ourselves. After a tortuous journey through various states of depravity - and of America - Alan Johnson ends up in California having reached a reconciliation of instincts, and having found a human being he can love.
Content notes
Quotes