“Charming, sad, hopeful and compelling, The Animals burns with intelligence, wry wit, and compassion.” -Gary Barwin, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of Yiddish for Pirates “What happens when wild animals are encouraged as household pets? Disruption (and bites)! The Animals is a peculiar and weirdly compelling fable, a version of Where the Wild Things Are, but for adults of the kind who find the world as strange as the films of Wes Anderson.”-Antanas Sileika, author of Provisionally Yours and that living with a wolf is not a very good idea. When fire breaks out, Dorn takes on the unlikely role of hero in the hope of changing the course of his life.Ī realist novel with the air of a fairy tale, The Animals is a surprising, funny, and thought-provoking story that explores the nature of relationships faunal and human, and reminds us of the challenges of finding one’s place in society. Soon, Dorn receives a mysterious commission, finds a body in a park, and has several run-ins with a former classmate-turned police officer. Life takes a strange turn when the government-sponsored “Wild Home Project” is introduced and wolves, rats, minks, otters, and bears move into villagers’ homes.

Yet life is far from idyllic he suffers under the thumb of a rich, philandering younger brother and an unloving father, and cannot find the courage to admit his love to Ravenna, the ungainly schoolteacher. In a quaint tourist village, Dorn makes miniature scale models displayed in the local shops.

The student cary fagan