Harry Turner, a young British veteran of the war in Afghanistan, has travelled to the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, leaving his parents and doting little brother behind in an attempt to find some peace and meaning in his life as he grapples with PTSD and debilitating depression. Once there, he meets Samantha Zwicker, who runs a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre that specialises in rewilding carnivores threatened by poachers. They establish a personal and professional relationship that centres on a young ocelot cub named Keanu would never have survived without their aid. As Harry begins taking steps towards improving his emotional health, he finds the jungle a brutal proving ground, with poachers, clear-cutters, and non-human predators all around. Stalked by suicidal thoughts, Harry needs Keanu as much as the stunningly beautiful wildcat needs him.

Notes by David O’Mahony