"A breakthrough. It is lyrical and riveting, packed with action and emotion and taste and scent and touch. I've never read anything like this. It absolutely blew me away."

 - Sy Montgomery, bestselling author of Soul of an Octopus

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* "The ways in which Schrefer explores the meaning of home and how it evolves through the introduction of humans is breathtaking. Schrefer’s ability to articulate an anthropological rendering of a gorilla’s first experiences with humans is both beautiful and brutal. Embedded within the narrative is the story of a daughter taking on the role as head of household and developing confidence in herself, her perspective, and her decisions. The integration of the gorilla’s own language is brilliant and elucidates ineffable moments."

- School Library Journal Starred review

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Before humans, and before human history, there were the apes. 

Snub is a young gorilla, living in the heart of what will eventually be known as Africa. She is jealous of her mother's new baby, and restless in her need to explore. When a natural disaster shakes up her family, Snub finds herself as the guardian of her young sibling, and lost in a reshaped world.

Snub may feel orphaned, but she is not alone. There are other creatures stalking through the woods: a new form of predator, walking on two legs. One of their kind is also orphaned, and is taken in by Snub. But the intersection of the human world and the gorilla world will bring both new connections and new battles.

In his boldest work yet, two-time National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer shows us a riveting, heartbreaking early encounter between ape and man, told from the ape's point of view. It is a journey unlike any other in recent literature.