Holy Cow

Holy Cow by David Duchovny, 206 pages

Elsie is a happy cow, just going about her life. One night, the gate to the barnyard is left open, and she wanders over to the house where the farmer is watching a documentary about industrial farms. With her worldview abruptly altered, Elsie begins learning more and more about the wide world, eventually plotting out a plan to get to India (because, well, she won't get eaten there). Throw in a pig that converts to Judaism and an anorexic turkey, and you've got a smart, funny barnyard adventure tale.

I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about Mulder Duchovny writing a novel, but this is a good one. Through Elsie, he makes some interesting observations about humankind, our treatment of animals, and our treatment of each other. But because of the cow narrator, he's able to keep a distance that prevents the story from becoming preachy. I was pleasantly surprised by this quick read. Give it a whirl!