Unlikely Animals - Annie Hartnett

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Emma Starling has to return her small-town home of Everton, New Hampshire. Her father, Clive, has a degenerative brain disease that's gotten to the point of him losing his memory and hallucinating unlikely animals all over the house (as well as deceased naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes). Emma also has to find a way to tell her family that yes, she has completely blown off med school in California and no, she never regained "The Charm" from her childhood--a very real and healing touch that led some to believe Emma had magical powers. 

All havoc breaks loose upon Emma's arrival back to Everton, because she also learns that Crystal Nash, her childhood best friend, is missing. 

What ensues in Annie Hartnett's latest debut is a deeply human story about a quirky, imperfect family in an even quirkier, imperfect town. It's laugh-out-loud funny in a way I haven't experienced in ages, it's emotional, and most of all, it beckons its readers to dive into their sense of empathy. I deeply loved (almost) every single character in this book, and the masterful way that Hartnett told a story that is equally plot-and-character driven. By the end of this heart-warming story, you'll have fallen completely in love with not only the Starling family but the sleepy town of Everton as well.

Oh, and did I mention that our narrators are none other than Everton's dead, telling Emma's story from beyond (or within?) the grave? What more could you want?

"Unlikely Animals" is such special story; I implore you to read it. 

Rating: 5 Stars

Publication Details: Out 4/12/22, Random House Publishing 

Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!

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