

Rory keeps largely separate from the likes of the Prices-but, perched on her bedroom windowsill, Rory steals glimpses of Vivian swimming in her pool nearly every night.Īfter Rory's stepfather is involved in a tragic car accident, the lives of Rory, June, and Vivian become inextricably bound together.

While Rory draws the interest of out-and-proud June, she's more intrigued by Vivian Price, the beautiful girl with the movie-star father who lives down the hill. There she rides for the rich clientele, including twins June and Wade Fisk. It's 1993, and Rory Ramos works as a ranch hand at the stable her stepfather manages in Topanga Canyon, California, a dry, dusty place reliant on horses and hierarchies. "In this rugged and ravishing debut, a tragic car accident upends the lives of multiple Southern California families-particularly three teenage girls, whose lives and desires intersect in ways none of them could have imagined." - Oprah DailyĪ bold, riveting debut novel of desire, betrayal, and loss, centering on three teenage girls, a horse ranch, and the accident that changes everything. And Kate Milliken knows her stuff when it comes to horses." -Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses

" Kept Animals is a darkly beautiful book, tender yet powerful, an exquisite exploration of hurt and desire, the why of wanting, taking, and giving. Description Named a most anticipated novel by Oprah Daily, Vogue, Parade, The Millions, and Electric Lit - A Reader's Digest Quarantine Book Club Pick - Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
