Unlikely Animals

Unlikely Animals (2022) is a tragi-comic novel by Annie Hartnett. Set in the imaginary New Hampshire town of Everton during the opioid epidemic, it deals with the themes of loss and healing, as well as the complex relationship between the human and animal worlds. Unlikely Animals is the second book by award-winning novelist Hartnett.

This guide refers to the 2022 Random House edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The text contains references to substance use disorder, mental illness, and suicide.

Plot Summary

Unlikely Animals is narrated by the dead inhabitants of Maple Street Cemetery. The narrators are invisible to the novel’s characters and unable to intervene in their lives, but they can read their thoughts and care deeply about their welfare.

Emma Starling was born with a gift for healing, and her family and community have high expectations of her. At the beginning of the novel, Emma travels back from California, where she attended college, to Everton, her hometown in New Hampshire. Everton borders the mysterious Corbin Park, an exclusive, highly secretive hunting reserve. Emma brings home a stray dog, Moses, found by the roadside. Emma dropped out of medical school after losing her magical healing gift.