The Animal Hour

by Andrew Klavan

Voices invade a young woman’s head, compelling her to kill

When Nancy Kincaid comes into work, an unfamiliar woman tells her to leave. This is Nancy Kincaid’s office, the woman says, but you are not Nancy Kincaid. As Nancy protests, her memory grows fuzzy and her reason seems to slip away. None of her workmates recognize her, and she is distracted by a voice in her head that suggests she shoot them all. Ejected from her office, she collects herself in the park. A homeless man pesters her, mumbling that at eight o’clock—the animal hour—there is someone she has to kill. Over and over she tells him to leave, until she finds the pistol in her purse. Panicking, she fires the gun and sets off a whirlwind of insane violence that will not stop until the animal hour comes to pass.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Reference for now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_K...

Reviews

[Zoeytron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who is Nancy Kincaid? Madwoman? Schizophrenic? Or just the really nice person she believes herself to be? Whoever she is, the voices in her head urging her to kill are driving her crazy. And why don't her colleagues and family recognize her? Oliver, a soulful washed up poet, is central to the story, as is his brother Zach, a struggling druggie.

The imagery concocted within these pages is electric. Hulking concrete pillars in the subway, lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting. Furry smiles, water stains like fingerprints, capering clowns, 'gibbering gargoyles peering out over high ledges, grinning viciously', shadows resolving themselves.

Using a nocturnal Halloween parade as the backdrop for the denouement, you will find yourself on tenterhooks as the pieces come together and you learn who is masked and who is not. This is the Animal Hour.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A psychological thriller that never lets up. Andrew Klavan is a brilliant writer.

[Olga Kowalska (WielkiBuk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah! This was a sneaky one! It grabs your attention with its first chapter, then it makes you wonder what is going on, then it is getting pretty confusing, like nothing makes sense anymore, and finally... it turns out to be awesome! Every element of the puzzle finds its place and the final scenes reveal the whole image.
A great thriller indeed.

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-A un pasito del éxito, pero podría ser un abismo.-

Género. Novela.

Lo que nos cuenta. En la mañana de Halloween, Nancy Kincaid no se encuentra muy bien pero va a trabajar, aunque en su oficina nadie la reconoce como Nancy Kincaid; comienza a vagar por la ciudad y descubre que tiene un revólver en el bolsillo. Oliver Perkins busca a su hermano, que ha desaparecido el día anterior, pero sus averiguaciones le llevan a cosas inesperadas. Zachary Perkins se despierta empapado en sangre y con la policía llamando a la puerta del apartamento en el que se encuentra.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....

[Thrillers R Us · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to cash in on the rising popularity of home computers, 1985 gave birth to the successful franchise of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO? as an adventure game for the Apple II and Commodore 64 systems, among others. While less venturesome but with a much longer history and mostly for the fearless, Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, also offered something for the adventurous. First practiced as 'souling' in England, begging the rich for soul cakes in exchange for praying for the souls of the givers and their friends, before crossing the Atlantic and thence turning into 'guising', trick or treating on Halloween didn't become all the rage in America until the mid- to late 1930s. Converting October 31st into a horror fest and tribute to the ghoulish probably took off with John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN in 1978. Thus, ruminating in the pit of hell that is the confection-driven holiday, THE ANIMAL HOUR treads into the frenzy that is ghouls, goblins, and snack-sized Goobers to find a savage killer in the City.

Somewhere shy of 240,000 miles from the moon, New York City is a moonscape. Gray; the people are gray, inside and out. None more so than Nancy Kincaid, who's also not sure who she is, where she's been, or where she's going. But she's been told not to forget eight o'clock, that's THE ANIMAL HOUR. Wandering about before the festivities start, Nancy Kincaid just received a big SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, prompting thoughts of 'who in the world is Nancy Kincaid?' This, incidentally, would've been a good alternative title as it keeps the pages turning and minds wondering. Additionally, THE ANIMAL HOUR is also a frightening take on how easy it is to lose your anchor in society. That warm, comfy place where you "belong", and how difficult it is to subsist when you have nothing and you're all of a sudden no longer the person you used to be.

Emerging from the pages, it is said that God closed a door, but he opens a window. That window into Nancy's soul is dark, and she's trying to overcome the deep black fear within her. A woman who doesn't know herself, a poet with a younger photographer brother and his gf, a fed named Gus Stallone, and a severed head in a toilet. How they all fit together will be revealed in due time--until then, you don't know what it all means or adds up to, but you'd rather be in Philadelphia. Actually, it's a weird cornucopia of brutality, horror, and violence; the kind that perfectly illustrates New York City politics and the pathway to Gracie Mansion and Albany. One thing is for sure: NYC politicians will screw anybody.

When non-linear editing is done right, e.g., PULP FICTION, it's perfection. THE ANIMAL HOUR--not so much. It has a weird feel. Nonetheless, there are riveting ideas proffered--a serial killer hoping and praying to God in times of trouble, concepts such as floating the balloon, bad mayo, retro paternalistic modes, and lipstickhenge. Also making the cut is an interrogation that has an eerie Cohen Brothers, FARGO vibe. Eventually, it all comes down to how far does $25,000 take you to get clear of everyone and what are you willing to do for it. The heroine Kincaid, she's gotta kill someone at THE ANIMAL HOUR, 8pm; she just doesn't know where, or who. For that, she'll have to turn into Bad Nancy. Whether it's the cops, feds, poets, journalists, politicos, or just the crazy or insane, the clock's ticking and the beast is hungry on Halloween. In a race against time, it comes down to who's got the edge and who'll be left standing at THE ANIMAL HOUR.

[Mia Lee Libros · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Pros:
- La trama tenía potencial pero el autor no supo dárselo (esto es lo único bueno que puedo decir del libro)

*Contras:
- La peor lectura que he tenido en mucho tiempo (por no decir en toda mi vida).
- Personajes muy poco creíbles.
- Diálogos muy malos que para nada rozan lo real.
- El autor se mete un rollo cada vez que intenta explicar algo.
- Algunas veces la drama tenía inconexciones.

*Opinión Personal:
Tenía muchas ganas de leer el libro, pero a la mitad lo tuve que dejar. Se hizo una lectura muy pesada. El autor daba miles de vueltas para explicar algo. Luego los diálogos eran pobres: carecían de realismo. Los personajes no tenían nada de convicción.
Creo que la drama tenía potencial pero el autor la cagaba por todas partes. Este es el primer libro que dejo a medias. Lo siento pero no pude con él. Ya en la página cien me sentí estafada como lectora. Horrorosa lectura y que mal sabor me dejó.

[Gatorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5 stars if I could. An interesting thriller that leaves you confused for most of the book, sometimes to the point where it becomes an impediment to enjoying it. However, the last 30 or so pages tie up the whole story very nicely and explain the confusing parts quite satisfactorily. The fluid ending lifted the book from its shaky beginnings and made it a worthwhile read. Stick with the confusing parts and you'll be happy you did in the end. Recommended.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. I remember when I read it I was just in awe and I couldn't put it down. I have read other books by Andrew Klaven but didn't care as much for them.

[Scott Marks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible writing, clunky and childish. Plus the writer is a misogynist, anti-feminist and it comes across quite strongly in how he writes about women.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not originally on my list of things I wanted to read, but it was out on display at my local library advertised as a "haunting fall read, perfect for halloween."

Having finished the novel I believe it was mis-shelved. I gave this two stars only because my initial expectations might have been off; judging by the books displayed by this one I was expecting more supernatural/horror elements within the story.

This story revolves around Nancy Kincaid and Oliver Perkins. Nancy Kincaid shows up to work after waking up feeling ill. When she arrives she finds that none of her co-workers recognize her and insist that she is not Nancy. Interspersed through Nancy's struggles to discover who she really is and what is happening to her is the story of Oliver Perkins. Perkins is a washed up poet who wakes up from a hangover to find his Nana had called about his missing drug abusing younger brother. Unfortunately both stories are slow to build and hard to get into. Nothing about the characters made them immediately likable and it was a struggle to get through the first 70 or so pages. Things seemed like they were going to pick up and improve when they find the murdered body of the real Nancy Kincaid but shortly there after the book returns to its slow pace. I felt the story could have been as effective much shorter, and a quote from page 173 accurately describes the writing style throughout the story "... Time, he thought, was a-wasting."

I didn't find the motivations of the brother very believable, especially since he has been supposedly both sober and very religious since moving into the mews and meeting with the psychiatrist paid for by his Nana. Then the ease in which he is able to get his hands on Nancy and her FBI double despite there being so much interest in Frank Woodlawn just didn't ring true. The broken typewriter as motivation for his killing his mother and so many years later his idea to frame his brother also seemed far-fetched.

So with a plot that is slow moving and full of holes I'm not sure this book is worth the amount of effort it takes to get through it.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halloween in Manhattan. Everyone has their bad days, but for Nancy Kincaid, this will be the worst of her life. Arriving at her office, her colleagues insist they have never seen her before. The only clue she has is a voice that whispers someone will be murdered that night--by 8:00, the Animal Hour.

An opening that instantly draws you in by curiosity about the "what" and the "why" of the story and a breakneck pace kept me turning the pages. And while it's fun to be somewhat frustrated while reading a thriller - because that frustration stems from not knowing all the answers and having to discover and decipher clues and evidence - this one pushed me to my limit.

Then the big reveal in which we're given the answer to not only the main mystery but a secondary mystery we didn't even know was a mystery until its big reveal at the end. Plausible within the story itself but a bit convoluted for my tastes.

Plus, there was something that just rubbed me the wrong way about how the women were portrayed in this book.

Recommended only if you're instantly hooked by having to know what's going on and what really happened even if you couldn't care less about any of the characters.

2.5 stars

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the bulk of this story very confusing. The first chapter started off great and then it just went into all kinds of confusing directions for me. Of course at the very end you get some answers and it starts to make a little more sense. The story is primarily told from the point of view of Nancy, Ollie, Zach and a little by Avis. I don't know if it was the style of writing or the plot of the book that I just didn't really care for. I struggled to finish the book and only did because I wanted it to make some kind of sense. I guess with a character like Zach who seemed to have some mental/emotional issues before adding drugs to the mix, it's no wonder it didn't make sense. I felt the motives for Zach's killings to make even less sense. He's been mad at his brother Ollie because their dad beat him with a ruler for something Ollie did??? Really???? He waits until years later to get revenge???? Really??? Just not what I'd expected from the book.

[Ruby Tombstone Lives!]

I was thinking I might enjoy this. Then I saw the author's blog. Can I actually read a book by an apparent right-wing lunatic.... and like it?

[Jinnybaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story . . . t'was exhilirating with all the twists and turns. unpredictable and exciting too bad I can't find a copy

[Debora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fue mi primer libro y lo recuerdo con mucho csriño

[Javier Cobo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Malo. Misógino. Clasista. Prepotente. Mal redactado. Diálogos pobres, capítulos largos a pesar de ser cortos. Una y no más .

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last week, when I finished Andrew Klavan's memoir, The Great Good Thing , I decided I was probably going to have to read everything he's written. This will mean picking up the pace, as I've burned up a decade casually getting through only nine of his titles.

So I grabbed The Animal Hour almost at random.

One of its main characters is Nancy Kincaid, apparently a ditsy office assistant who shows up for work one morning to discover that nobody recognizes her. Confused, she leaves the building, whereupon her day starts going downhill fast. She's the only one mentioned in the book's synopsis, but about half of the chapters concern Oliver Perkins, an unsuccessful poet living on the fringes, and other people in his life. He's equally important to the unfolding narrative, and might be easier to relate to given that there's greater opportunity to observe his everyday existence (being hungover, worrying about a fragile grandmother, feeling responsible for a drug-addicted younger brother) before the day also becomes weird for him.

I understand another reader's comment that this story made her feel dirty. The response is similar to what one might experience on picking up a log or a rock and seeing the writhing grubs and whatnot living underneath it. Klavan's fiction often deals with a side of life we prefer not to think about, but that any police officer knows all too well. As it's expressed here, these characters experience "a journey down into the dark," there to find "a fearsome creature. The Other; the self whom, above everything, you wish not to be." So the discovery that's so repulsive is not really something external, under a rock, but something within—within the protagonists, potentially within anyone.

The best sentence of the book: "Death slithered through the crowd like a silverfish."

Death in this context is a person in costume, but the nightmarish Halloween parade that dominates the concluding chapters, and its mass of enthusiastic spectators, is I think the author's representation of a society that takes a perverse delight in flirting with its darkest side, and making unhappiness all the more inevitable.

[zuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm thrilled to say that I finished this book, didn't have much time to review this last night (I finished it last night) because I was so busy dealing with other things, but here I am reviewing it today, I have so much to say to this book.

I didn't expect that it will be one of my favorite read this year, I had try to read this last year but I always thought that this book is wasting my time & not my taste, but I was wrong and I apologized for that. I am not an avid reader of a genre horror/thriller, since what I read is coming of age books or mostly classics, but I think I may have to considered the thriller genre cause lately I enjoyed it a lot (3 recent of my read is thriller, so yeah)

The story of Animal Hour revolves to any character in this book, all of them had their own point of views, which makes this book really superb. But the main character of the story is Nancy Kincaid, the story happens in just one day and it scares me out of the shit I do visualize some scenes in my head and it creeps me, back to the story it was halloween morning and suddenly Nancy wake up and not being recognized by everyone even her officemates, they thought that she's someone pretending but even her doesn't even know what is happening then that's the story started, she will try to understand what really happens. Another characters are Zachary and Oliver, they're siblings which is also connected to Nancy.

The story itself tackled many things such as the schizophrenia, abandonment issues, love & so much more, this is a thriller/horror novel but at some point it made me cry (not gonna spoil why). I will rate this book a solid 5/5 stars, sorry for not reading you early.

[Luke Izaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry Mr Klavan.
Wow.
I'm not going to lie, this was a flop in so many ways.

I don't know if this is just one of those 'Stephen King fillers'... the poor author was exhausted after two best-sellers and tripped ...but it felt convoluted and messy. Not AS disappointing as reading Andrew Pyper's The Only Child after being spoiled by some of his other works, but still...

The problem is, Klavan manages to capture the same wonderful inner-dialogue of his characters and paint some really compelling scenes. Hence, still giving it 3 stars. But the plot and momentum... Lordy-mama...I can't even.

Sure, he'll likely always write far better than I. And maybe, just maybe I was spoiled by the last 2 I read (Don't Say A Word & True Crime) but... if this were the first Klavan I had read, it may have been my last.

To be fair, I'm one of those cursed readers who, if I've started the novel, I have to read the whole damned thing. And out of respect for the man, I did. Secondly, if I like a new author, I devour their collection before moving onto the next one which... isn't fair on either of us.
One should probably cleanse the palate before sampling a new bottle.

Hoping The Identity Man (my next one) is better!

[LenatheCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a whim I decided to read The Animal Hour by Andrew Klavan. It's an interesting read - part horror, part psychological thriller and part mystery.

A woman called Nancy Kincaid goes to work and finds that no one remembers her and everyone claims she isn't Nancy; Nancy has been murdered. Haunted by voice and visions, she tries to make sense of what's happening and what the mystery Animal Hour at 8pm refers to.

Meanwhile, a poet called Ollie discovers his younger brother is missing - seemingly framed by his girlfriend for the murder of Nancy Kincaid. Willing to do anything to clear his brother's name, Ollie goes looking for the girlfriend and finds himself being drawn deeper and deeper into the mystery.

The writing was excellent and the plot drew me in pretty fast, even if I found some chapters a little slow going. The plot twist was reasonably good - even if it was a touch melodramatic. Not so much horror as thriller with some gorey moments, this was an enjoyable read that found it's way under my skin.

[Chelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I just read. I didn't like any of the characters and I didn't like the writer's style. The beginning of the book was good, the ending of the book was good (I didn't see the ending coming!) but the middle just dragged on. Somehow this book made me feel.. dirty. I'm giving it 4 stars because honestly, despite all I've mentioned above, it was a surprisingly good book. I think.

[L ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. No esperaba que me gustase tanto, pero la verdad que me sorprendió.

Sentí el suspenso hasta el final, y la manera en que los personajes eran personificados estuvo excelente.

Aunque al principio me costó un poco entender qué es lo que estaba pasando, de a poco el libro por sí solo se iba desvelando para ayudarme a seguir el hilo de la historia; muy bueno de verdad.

[Emily Cauduro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The imagery in this book messed me up the first time I read it and it still sticks with me.

[Ranjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A psychological thriller full of quite improbable twists and turns

[Paula Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Kincaid is sure she's going to have a lousy day. And indeed she does: when she shows up at work, her colleagues firmly tell her that she's not Nancy Kincaid! So who is she? And why is she hearing voices, and seeing things that aren't real?

Meanwhile, poet Oliver Perkins, living a bit of an aimless life due to writer's block, is asked by his Nana to locate his younger brother, Zachary Perkins, whose girlfriend has reported him missing. Zachary has had drug problems and mental health issues in the past.

I won't say much more than that. This book is better the less you know about it going in. The chapters from Nancy's perspective do a great job of capturing the hell she is in. What do you do when you aren't sure of who you are? She's a compelling, interesting character. Oliver's character also has more depth than what you would usually find in a thriller of this nature.

My only issue was with a bit too much description. The book could have been 50 pages or so shorter and really tightened up the pace. Especially in the climax, when Klavan is describing the costumed Halloween parade partiers. It just goes on and on and on to the point of exasperation. Okay, we get it! There are people dressed up for Halloween and partying! Get on with it!

I really loved this one. You need to stick with it to see how the story threads tie together, but information is spoon fed for you to work out what's going on. Nancy's plight also garnered my sympathy and interest. She was unreliable narrator before unreliable narrators were popular, but the book doesn't come with the tiresome tropes you would usually associate with that narrative choice. The plot is complex and interesting and delivers clever, unexpected surprises. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was to me, one of the worst book i've read, the book starts pretty good, you get into the story easily, all the details sounds just about right and the characters are quite "alive" if i can say, but when you get past the first half, it seems like the author somewhat lacked of imagination, a friend of mine recommended this to me saying it was a really great one, but i guess everyone have their own tastes, and to me, this was a very long and boring book. Or this could be me having high expectations especially when it comes to horror kind. I personally preferred "Don't say a word" by the same author.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this was a good book. I wasn't able to guess the plot turns ahead of time, and the action kept up through the end. It was definitely a fun read, and I would have given it 4 stars, except for a couple problems. First was the authors tendency to include a brief paragraph of relatively explicit sexuality periodically. The information conveyed in these cases could easily have been communicated without the sleeze, it was really quite jarring when it happened. The second problem was the characters, none of whom were particularly likeable. It's tough coming to the end of a book and having to be satisfied with rooting for the less despicable character.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief review - typical Klavan - tight suspense - tight timeframe (everything happens in less than 24 hours) - in fact it feels like the TV show "24" with each chapter describing what one of the characters is doing simultaneously with the others.

a little more violent, trying to be more like an old Stephen King novel. not his best, not his worst.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like it at first but I did eventually get into it and then wanted to finish it just to understand what was going on. I did like how everything came together in the end. I really didn't like the authors style of writing and how he spoke about women it made me uncomfortable. I was worse in the first half of thr book.

[Jayma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not badly written, but kind of a confused mess of a plot.