Only a Little While Here

<B><b>This prizewinning novel weaves together four animal odysseys in a poignant meditation on migration, displacement, and the inextricable human and natural worlds.</b></B><BR><BR>In <i>Only a Little While Here</i>, award-winning author María Ospina evokes a sensation birders know well—the gratification to be had through close, humble observation of nature. With characteristic grace and curiosity, Ospina trains our attention on the lives of four creatures: a south-bound songbird dazzled by city lights, an orphaned porcupine saved by human kindness, a loyal dog grieving the abduction of her human companion, and a determined beetle transported to a vast, unimaginable world. The surprising drama of their lives reveals the fragility and resilience of belonging, and what it means to create—or lose—a home.<BR> <BR>Each animal’s journey challenges us to confront the beauty and brutality of the world we shape around our non-human fellows. Along the way, the narrator models the intense interest needed to mend the rift between humans and animals, and celebrates their often-overlooked status as witnesses of our shared world.<BR> <BR>Tender, meditative, and soul-stirring, <i>Only a Little While Here</i> is ecological fiction at its most inventive and heartfelt.