Really great book and happy to have it on our shelves- Annie Hartnett is a really great writer and we will likely use this novel as a book club pick.

Full Disclosure: I received an advanced copy of Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.

I had heard about this book on the Nerdette Podcast. Everything about it called to me. Adult woman returns to small hometown and becomes a substitute teacher. I've done that. Even though it is set in New Hampshire, I couldn't stop visualizing it as Wilmington, IL. On the drive to move back home, she picks up a stray animal and brings it home with every intention of keeping it. Yep, done that too. So much love for animals in this book! Needed that. There are stories within the story related to the naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes and his own animal adventures. Love epistolary story-telling! And finally, an unconventional narrator....Nailed it! If you are looking for something a bit quirky with a splash of dark humor but still leaves you feeling uplifted, this is a great choice.

As an aside, I got real George Saunders vibes from this book which is a compliment from me. Fox8 is one of my favorite short stories.

Bonus points for a cute cover and having amazing animal characters! I would read The Adventures of Rasputin and Moses.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This is a deft and light hearted exploration of very weighty topics: opiate epidemic, aging, death, career dreams, families--it's set in a town based on a real New Hampshire town and a quirky naturalist. The Starling family is dealing with a dying father, a strained marriage, a son in recovery and a daughter who is trying to find her way. The graveyard ghosts witness--but carefully don't meddle--and care deeply for the town residents. The story is engaging and deftly juggles the profound topics, moving the narrative along in an engaging manner. It's a mystery, an exploration of the natural world, social inequality--all told with light humor and grace. A book to be enjoyed.

This is the story of Emma Starling, who returns to her hometown of Everton, New Hampshire. She had gone to college in California but then not to medical school, as her family believed. She has returned home because her father is dying of an unknown brain disease.

The residents of the Maple Street Cemetery provide the narration for this story.

The novel has a cast of unique individuals, including the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, a missing young woman who was Emma’s best friend in high school, Emma’s brother who is back from another stint in rehab for opioid addiction, a small class of elementary students with unhappy pasts, and – of course – Emma’s father.

There is nothing at all typical about this novel. It is, in fact, quite bizarre, but it also carries truth and honesty as it deals with the successes and failures that are a part of family and friendships.

What an unexpectedly delightful, quirky book that I will be thinking about for a long, long time. I'm so glad I was able to read an early copy through NetGalley. I love the chorus of dead voices from the cemetery and the father's animal hallucinations. An inventive concept to begin with—and pulled off so beautifully from cover to cover.

This was one of those unusual books that required me to sit with my thoughts after finishing before writing any sort of review. The premise was absolutely original, which is what drew me in. At times it was chaotic and slightly unhinged, at others it drew you in with the feeling of being part of the family. If that doesn't describe the opioid crisis, I don't know what does. I think the best word to describe this story is unsettling. Definitely worth the time and the emotion you will inevitably invest in it.

My thanks to Penguin Random House, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is such a unique book. Unlikely Animals is a book about family, friendship, mystery, and drama with a touch of magical realism where even the residents of Maple Street Cemetery have their say throughout the book. Emma Starling has returned to her small hometown of Everton because of her father's illness. Once home she discovers there is more going on than just her dad's illness; her once best friend Crystal is missing and no one knows where she has gone. This is a whimsical read everyone would enjoy. Thanks to author Annie Hartnett, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. This story is quirky and loaded with flawed but memorable characters. The animals play a major role in this dark comedy with a twist. I totally recommend this book to readers who welcome a fresh approach to illness, addiction and obsession.

weeks after finishing this book I still think of it fondly from time to time. the story follows Emma in her move back home that is accompanied by secrets, a set of curious characters both living and dead, a dog named Moses, and a “domesticated” fox via Russia. the writing was fantastic and the fanciful, delicate, and sometimes magical intricacies had me hooked. it’s not going to be a book for everyone, but I genuinely enjoyed my time in this universe. many thanks to Ballantine for an advance readers copy.

I enjoyed getting to the know the Starling Family and their town. I loved the quirkiness of everyone and how the community watched out for each other. I may not recommend this for my class (I teach early elementary) but will recommend this to family and friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The characters were a delight, including (and especially!) the cemetery narrators! The family dynamics felt genuine, funny at times and also sort of sad, but realistic. This book made me think about my own mortality and how I would want to be remembered by family and friends. It was an all-around good read, meaningful and fun, and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Emma is a young woman who was born with the ability to heal others with her touch. She returns to her home in rural New Hampshire to care for her failing father. Unfortunately, she has lost the ability to heal.

Her father is beginning to imagine things…particularly wild animals. He is also having an on-going conversation with the ghost of Ernest Harold Baynes (1868-1925), a real-life naturalist and writer who had lived in the area and had made friends with many wild animals. At the same time, strange things are happening in a nearby private hunting preserve. Corbin Park (also known as the Blue Mountain Forest and Game Preserve) is an actual, highly-secretive park. It is known to be the hunting grounds of Teddy Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, and many other noted individuals.

This book is an imaginative combination of a fictitious story set in a real background, populated with real and made-up people and, oh yes, ghosts.

I enjoyed the book and was happy to investigate the history of Baynes and Corbin Park. The information I learned enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

A wry, thoughtful, introspective book about a young woman trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. I thought the town characters were very well-drawn out, and I especially loved Emma's relationship with her students. The family dynamics were fascinating and realistic, and really shone in its portrayal of Emma's father's decline and how it affected those around him. The animals were also a fun touch! No spoilers here about the ending, but I did cry (and also gasp at how characters' storylines ultimately tied together).

Unlikely Animals is told in part by the small-town residents residing in the cemetery. The long- and recently-dead have amusing thoughts on the lives of those around them. Though the novel involves sad subjects like opioid addiction, depression, and dying, it does so in a quirky and ultimately uplifting way.

Emma Starling used to have a healing touch. She went to college across the country in California and got into medical school, but she realized she lost whatever gift she had. Her father has some degenerative brain disease—it’s not Alzheimer’s, but he does see hallucinations in the form of various animals, which forced the school where he worked as a professor to have him retire before the semester is over. Emma’s brother Auggie is out of rehab for the second time, and she realizes she has to face reality and admit to her family that she never showed up for medical school. When she comes home, she learns that her best friend from high school has been missing for months. Crystal also was battling addiction.

Though dealing with a dying older man and a younger man still trying to get back on his feet has its challenges, as a family and community, they come together to heal.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 12, 2022.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author for providing this book for review. This heartfelt story is such a fun read. This is a story about a young woman who comes back home to be with her family and to find herself. Plenty of family and small-town drama ensue. These topics are treated with care by the author yet are also lighthearted and entertaining. The narrators are so unique and unexpected. They add a great deal of whimsy to this book. I also loved the historical bits added at the start of each section. I can easily say I have never read anything like this before, and I am so glad I was given the opportunity. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magical realism and small town family dramas. Thank you again to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my review.

I’m so excited that I got to read a copy of this early, what a wonderful book!

I read Rabbit Cake when it came out and adored that book, so I was fully expecting a possible “sophomore slump” situation, which I have had a run of lately in Net Galley reads. But Unlikely Animals was even better than Hartnett’s first novel. It was quirky in the same way that Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts was, and it was so enjoyable to read. I loved the mix of characters —the dad who is suffering from some unknown brain disease that is making him hallucinate animals, the prodigal daughter who had (and has lost) a healing power, a missing ex-best friend from adolescence, and a cast of ghosts from the town cemetery, who know everything as long as it’s within town limits. There’s an actual historical character as well, the ghost of Edward Baynes, whom the father sees. The book deals with heavy topics (addiction, death, etc), but manages not to get depressingly mired in them; there always feels like there is hope and levity in the writing, which I think is difficult to execute and makes this so well done. The use of the ghosts as a collective narrator was quirky but also so well executed. I walked away from this book just feeling like my heart was full. The characterization and everything is just heartfelt and well done.

Love, love, loved this book and looking forward to making everyone else I know read it! Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy.

Unlikely Animals takes place in the fictional Everton, New Hampshire, loosely based on the real Upper Valley in NH. The setting is a small rural town, home to a millionaires' hunting park. The spirits in the Maple Street Cemetery provide commentary about the people and animals and their history, including the exclusive hunting grounds. These speaking ghosts are omniscient and admonitory. Other background information is divulged in snippets from a book written by Harold Baynes, a naturalist who gave exotic animals to his wife as apologies. Harold was particularly fond of The Sprite, a tame red fox that provides literal and symbolic meaning for this mystical, magical story where a pet fox figures prominently.

One of the protagonists, Emma Starling, was said to have a condition called charismata iamaton which translates to "a gift of healing." She was born with this charm, and her powers sped up the healing process for many townspeople she interacted with as a child. She had a childhood friend named Crystal who practiced healing in a manner resembling witchcraft, and together, they had a well-known business in Everton. However, Emma's healing abilities gradually wore off while she was away at college and were nonexistent when she returned home to Everton to care for her dying father.

Clive Starling, Emma's father, taught poetry at a local college and struggled with a forced retirement due to his progressive brain disease, which caused hallucinations and led to many problematic behaviors. However, his fourth wife, Ingrid, mother to Emma and Augie, tolerated his illness and tried to remain married after Clive's recent affair. Ingrid is a college librarian and manages the mansion connected to Corbin Park, the hunter's retreat. She has mixed feelings about Emma's return to the family home, and she is worried about Augie, who has recently completed rehab for opioid addiction.

While reacclimating to family life, Emma has to deal with her father's bizarre behaviors. For example, he wanders out in public virtually naked. He talks to ghosts, and he is obsessed with finding Crystal, Emma's childhood friend, who developed an opioid addiction and was presumed dead since she had disappeared. Additionally, she must reconnect with her mother and brother as she learns to be a substitute teacher for a class of needy fifth graders. Augie expresses many childhood resentments toward Emma and his family as he learns to live as an adult and establishes a drug-free life. All members of the Starling family change as the story progresses. The father's growth is degenerative and more animalistic, and Hartnett does a great job showing the development of family dynamics and integrates instinctive familial emotions influenced by animals and spirits. In essence, she tells a story of the human-animal and its non-tangible qualities.

Annie Hartnett's novel was an enjoyable read; I found it was a perfect mix of real family life and far-fetched tales of domesticated wild animals, talking ghosts, and humans with supernatural powers. She carefully used names and animals to convey their symbolic and spiritual significance, and many plot points had literal and metaphoric explanations. Many themes were compelling: friendship, family relationships, healing, recovery, positive energy, persistence, guilt, grief, shame, loyalty, and many more. The characters were relatable, and topics such as mental illness, opioid addiction, and living in harmony with animals, commonly explored in modern novels, are treated with fresh insight. Millennial authors are continually trying to make sense of the world they are inheriting, and this book, with its fantastical elements, provides an escape and doses of reality.

I received a copy of Unlikely Animals free of charge from NetGalley. I am glad I had an opportunity to read something different from what I would typically choose. I recommend it for literary and animal enthusiasts.

Another addition to my favorite books for 2022.
What a fun, quirky book. Emma may have been born with a gift for healing, but it’s gone now. She returns home to New Hampshire after skipping out on medical school. Her father has a degenerative brain disease and he’s now hallucinating animals and ghosts, or at least the ghost of Ernest Harold Baynes, a long dead naturalist.
I loved the Greek chorus of the denizens of the Maple Street cemetery, with all the rules they must abide by. Intermingled with the current day story are articles about Mr. and Mrs. Baynes, who lived with a menagerie of wild animals in their house. (Make sure to read the Author’s Note about the real life Baynes.)
Brava to Hartnett for creating characters that are fully realized and realistic, despite their sometimes zany natures. She has created a heartwarming story, full of humor and emotion. She has captured the stress of dealing with a sick parent - the desire to get everything straightened out before it’s too late but the equally strong paralysis. She made sure to keep the story grounded in reality, with heroin addiction and infidelity along with upcoming death.
I recommend this for fans of Gail Honeyman, Ruth Hogan and Frederik Backman.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for an advance copy of this book.

UNLIKELY ANIMALS by Annie Hartnett was an unexpected delight. Tackling many heavy topics - including addiction, terminal illness, infidelity and more - UNLIKELY ANIMALS is raw, real, and heartfelt. This novel is both timely and unique, beautiful and tragic. I loved the writing and Hartnett's complex, multi-faceted characters. I would recommend this novel and can't wait to see what Hartnett writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

Life is messy. Unlikely Animals has an abundance of it: terminal illness, infidelity, drug addiction & consequences, career detour, mental health issues, failed friendship, regrets & more… This book manages all the messiness with heart and a healthy sprinkling of humor throughout. Narration and points of view from the residents of Maple Street Cemetery brought a refreshing and unique dimension.  Moses and Rasputin reinforce the healing powers of animals.  I am glad to have read this book courtesy of NetGalley.