Book Review: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

 My Rating: 4.5⭐

The ghosts of the Maple Street Cemetery in the fictional town of Everton, New Hampshire are governed by a strict set of rules and restrictions for its occupants and the most important ones are as follows:

Rule#1: No Meddling in the affairs of the living.

Rule#2: If you stop caring about the events of the living, you’re in direct violation of the rules of the cemetery, and your soul shrivels up before it disappears.

However, the rules do not prevent the ghosts from seeing everything that is going on in the lives of the residents of Everton. With wit, wisdom, humor and a healthy dose of sarcasm woven into their commentary, they proceed to narrate the story of the Starling family of Everton and their community.

We meet twenty–two–year–old Emma Starling, returning home from California, where she was attending college, on account of her father's illness. Unbeknownst to her family, she has dropped out of medical school and has been living in a vegan commune while trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She was born with “charismata iamaton” – healing hands, a gift that her family thought would prove useful in the medical profession. However, her powers have dissipated to almost non-existent as she has grown older. Her father, Clive Starling, retired poetry professor, has been diagnosed with a terminal illness affecting his brain, causing cognitive and motor problems. Clive experiences hallucinations (mostly of cats, rabbits and other animals) which lead to some strange incidents in his classroom forcing him into retirement. He can also see and regularly interact with the ghost of long-dead official naturalist of Corbin Park, Ernest Harold Baynes, who lived with a number of wild animals in his home in the course of his lifetime. Clive's association with "Harold" lead to quite a few humorous incidents, much to the dismay of his family (like ordering a pet fox from Russia for an exorbitant sum of money, who Clive names Rasputin). Despite his illness, Clive refuses to stop actively searching for Emma’s high school friend Crystal Nash who has disappeared without a trace and was also an addict and involves Emma to assist in his efforts. Emma’s mother Ingrid, also employed at the college where Clive worked, is dealing with Clive’s illness and the cracks in her marriage while also taking care of Auggie, Emma’s younger brother and recovering addict. It is clear that this family needs time and effort to deal with so much going on and what follows is a series of events that test their endurance, loyalty and love for one another.

The novel focuses on family, community, marriage, relationships and infidelity while also addressing many serious issues such as age-related illness and the challenges of caregiving as well as substance abuse and opioid addiction and its effects on addicts and their loved ones. Emma’s efforts to bond with her fifth-grade class, at the elementary school where she takes a substitute teaching position, lead to some heartwarming moments and emphasizes the importance of teachers and schools in the community. Love for animals and the difference our animal friends can make in our lives is a running theme in this novel. (“That’s why we like living with animals so much; they exhibit their joy so outwardly, remind us how to be better alive.”) A lot is going on in this story, but the author keeps the tone engaging and unambiguous and never lets it become too heavy or overwhelming for the reader. I loved the selected excerpts and photographs of naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes (b. 1868–d. 1925) "the real-life Doctor Doolittle of New Hampshire”, his wife Louise and his animal friends shared as part of the narrative. I particularly enjoyed the stories featuring Jimmie the bear. This novel is enchanting, dream-like and full of heart and humor even in its saddest moments.

With an engaging narrative and a bit of mystery thrown into the mix, elements of magical realism and a lively cast of characters- animal (I adored both Moses, the dog and Rasputin, the fox) and human, living and deceased (yes! even ghosts can be lively!), Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett is a joy to read. Suspend disbelief and this is probably one of the most charming stories you can add to your to-read list.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for granting my request for a digital review copy of this fascinating novel in exchange for my honest review.