“That's why we like living with animals so much, they exhibit their joy so outwardly, remind us how to be better alive.”

Unlikely Animals is absolutely DELIGHTFUL and I don’t often use that word with my reviews. I implore you to experience this treasure via audio, and if you're not an audio listener, here is a reason to become one. The narrators bring the quirky, small town humor to laugh out loud life.

You know that I don't normally read books described as humorous - nothing purposeful, I just read heavy books. And, despite being animal crazed, I stay away from "animal centric" novels because, in my experience, they only bring pain. Lastly, no magic please!

So, here I am, about to rave about a book that is hilarious, full of animals, topped off with a bit of magic, but it is all woven together so perfectly here!

Unlikely Animals is a story of place. Hartnett does such a good job portraying New Hampshire— she brings it to life (and I know NH well)-- small town behavior with bigger than life characters. And while this book is packed with humor, it also tackles some incredibly timely topics, including the devastating opioid crisis that has NH in its clutches. It is a fine balance when an author walks the line between tragedy and comedy, but isn't this the human condition? If you don't laugh, you'll cry, so why not laugh!

The characters are rich and fleshed out - I fell hard for the Starling family, whose daughter Emma returns home to care for her father, who is dying of dementia. He has begun seeing animals and they take on a special role in the narrative. The story is told via the snarky and sarcastic voices of ghosts from the town's cemetery. Sound odd? It’s one of the best parts of this story.

As I write this I'm thinking "I cannot describe this book adequately!" So you will have to trust me on this one. The narrator is like listening to your grandfather tell you a story and, if you're an audiobook lover like I am, you'll recognize the two voices who bring Unlikely Animals to life.