Martel's new novel may be 'unexpected and shocking'

TORONTO - The pre-release hype for Canadian author Yann Martel's new novel suggests readers may find the book "truly unexpected and shocking."

U.K. publisher Canongate told Bookseller.com that the novel, "Beatrice and Virgil," is set for publication next June and will be released by Knopf Canada.

Martel told The Canadian Press last month that the novel is a Holocaust tale told through animals.

Canongate says the story revolves around a character named Henry, who explores the world of taxidermy, and a donkey named Beatrice and a monkey called Virgil.

The publishing house says the book asks "profound moral and philosophical questions about the nature of love and evil."

It's Martel's first new work of fiction since "Life of Pi," which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2002.