REVIEW: “Unlikely Animals” by Annie Hartnett

Just get us through the school year, she prayed. Who was she bargaining with? She had always said she was an atheist, or at least an agnostic, whenever the topic came up, but secretly she thought it would be nice to believe in God sometimes, really go whole hog on the Jesus thing. It would be so great if you really felt like there was someone out there who listened to your bargains, your pleads, your promises to yourself. Like someone somewhere was keeping a lookout.

We’re here, we told her, as we often did.
The Ghosts of Maple Street Cementery

READ THIS IF:

You’re an animal lover.
You appreciate the unabashed honesty of children.

MY THOUGHTS:

What do you get when you combine:

1 missing person case
1 paper mache guillotine
1 elusive hunting club
1 mail-order domesticated fox from Russia
1 terminal brain disease that blurs the line between life and death
Countless survivors of the opioid epidemic
An omnipotent and compassionate voice of the collective deceased

You get a book that tackles dark and emotionally heavy topics with a whole lot of heart and unbelievable originality.

I am in absolute awe of Annie Hartnett.

This is a new microgenre of literature that will forever be a favorite of mine: real life, but with levity. Life is challenging for all of us as is, so who in their right mind would read NON-FICTION…… VOLUNTARILY? Psychos. All of them. My husband included. That being said, this book is technically fiction but it’s wrapped around a warm, gooey center of unapologetic humanity.

I’m here for it.

You should be, too.

Tip: Don’t neglect to read the author’s notes at the end of this book. Hartnett explains the research she conducted to write this poetic story, and I’m still stunned by the care and compassion with which she took real life and made it magical.

MY FAVORITE MOMENT:

Auggie’s speech.

If his speech doesn’t touch you down to the very pit of your soul, I’m afraid you don’t have one.

All Booked Up