The Mating Season: A Novel

by Alex Brunkhorst

Zorka Carpenter lives a life completely devoted to animals. In a glass house on a hill she spends her days absorbed in her menagerie. Enigmatic architect Richard Dorsey has spent his life trying to escape the fame he garnered in his youth. Living in a world of his own construction, he finds solace only in the past. When these two worlds collide in a magical tryst, both Zorka and Richard are challenged to escape their isolated worlds and find connection in the hearts of one another. Astonishingly inventive, Alex Brunkhorst's The Mating Season is a dazzling work of the imagination, and a piercing look at the human heart.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

Alex Brunkhorst grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Childhood was spent pretty much like any other kid’s childhood. I loved playing tennis, swimming, and listening to music. And I was always a veracious reader. Nancy Drew mysteries were my early books of choice, and later I devoured everything from commercial fiction to the classics. I don’t know if it was all that reading, but I always had a super vivid imagination.

I went to an all-girls Catholic high school in Milwaukee and it was then that I met a teacher, Mr. Grandy, who first noticed my talent for writing. I did what any other high schooler would do though – I ignored his advice to pursue writing and instead studied economics at Georgetown University, determined to work on Wall Street. (I was so obsessed with that dream I had a picture of Michael Milken on my bulletin board.)

After three years working in finance, I moved to Los Angeles, a city I had only visited once, on little more than a whim. Once I got there, I decided that my lifelong dream of working in finance wasn’t agreeing with me, and I begged my way into United Talent Agency, where I started in the mailroom and then worked for the head of the TV Literary Department.

Soon after, inspired by the creativity around me in Hollywood, I finally took Mr. Grandy’s advice and began writing – a short story for an ex-boyfriend that turned into the novel The Mating Season, which was published by St. Martin’s Press. At this point I decided I needed a more “author-friendly” occupation, so I started working in high-end real estate, and I eventually founded the popular website Bungalux.com on luxury living.

The Gilded Life of Matilda Deplane was inspired by many of my friends who, unlike me, live truly gilded lives, and my crush on a boy I only saw on Sundays.

Reviews

[Arely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, might be my new favorite book- of all time.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit unusual

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two brilliant but damaged people who have created their own fantasy worlds in order to survive fall in love and try to live in each other's world. I am not sure why one reviewer called this a 'whimsical faerie tale'. When I read something whimsical, it tends to make me feel good. And don't faerie tales usually have a happy ever after ending? This had neither. I guess I just couldn't relate. The writing was good though and the author has a great imagination.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book made me feel like I was trapped in a Taylor Swift song. While there were some pleasant parts, I can't quite believe that this was actually published. Apparently the author wrote this story for someone as a Christmas gift; can't quite fathom that a publishing house went ahead with this....