The petting zoo cover

The petting zoo

by Jim Carroll

While attending a reception for a Velázquez exhibition at the Met, Billy Wolfram, a young, famous, and talented artist, undergoes an anxiety attack that calls into question his own artistic abilities, his identity, and his sanity. As Billy's crisis begins to threaten the completion of new works for a forthcoming show, he's visited by a talking raven who claims to have been on Noah's ark.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?