{"product_id":"unlikely-animals-9780593160244","title":"Unlikely Animals","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This tragicomic novel is heartfelt, touching, and delightfully quirky. You'll fall in love with the offbeat cast of characters (both living and dead) and find yourself rooting for them right through the last page.\"--\u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping\u003c\/i\u003e (Book Club pick)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eRabbit Cake\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post, Book Riot \u003c\/i\u003e-\u003cb\u003e Longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNatural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she's lost her way. A medical school dropout, she's come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to spend his final days. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Emma arrives home knowing she must face her dad's illness, her mom's judgment, and her younger brother's recent stint in rehab, but she's unprepared to find that her former best friend from high school is missing, with no one bothering to look for her. The police say they don't spend much time looking for drug addicts. Emma's dad is the only one convinced the young woman might still be alive, and Emma is hopeful he could be right. Someone should look for her, at least. Emma isn't really trying to be a hero, but somehow she and her father bring about just the kind of miracle the town needs. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet against the backdrop of a small town in the throes of a very real opioid crisis, \u003ci\u003eUnlikely Animals \u003c\/i\u003eis a tragicomic novel about familial expectations, imperfect friendships, and the possibility of resurrecting that which had been thought irrevocably lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnnie Hartnett \u003c\/b\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eRabbit Cake, \u003c\/i\u003ewhich was listed as one of \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e's Best Books of 2017 and a finalist for the New England Book Award. She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She studied philosophy at Hamilton College, has an MA from Middlebury College, and an MFA from the University of Alabama. When she began writing \u003ci\u003eUnlikely Animals, \u003c\/i\u003eshe was living in the groundskeeper's house in a cemetery. She now lives in a small town in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and darling border collie, Mr. Willie Nelson.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Ballantine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50591150145810,"sku":"9780593160244","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_3956e212-3339-4242-b25a-29c4a13dd817.jpg?v=1732085528","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/unlikely-animals-9780593160244","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}