I loved the setting and characters in this book. It's absurd and lighthearted and delightful. It can also be read and studied more deeply and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

*Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of The Animals in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Such a cute, quirky, quick little read. The Animals was good, mindless fun...unless you felt like delving into the intricacies of societal differences and how one overcomes personal battles to fit into the norm. This story was a nice surface read and easy enough to ignore the undertones of something much more complex and thought provoking. It made you think gently at face value without much effort but you were always aware of more. A murmur of something more deliberate yet subtle. A cryptic allegory.
Our main character was likeable while simultaneously frustrating in his cowardice. His nuances were almost endearing. I enjoyed sharing his short journey into personal growth and self awareness.
I am assuming this kinda sorta took place in England? But not completely sure? This story had such an air of reality with a taste of whimsical fantasy. It was fun trying to read between the lines and to not overthink the world too much. THEN throw the Animals into the mix! It was almost believable in its absurdity. It gave the story a light hearted twist with a serious undercurrent.
This was an interesting, easy, fun little read. It provided entertainment for a beach day.

There’s a right way to do a sort of slice-of-life-thread-through-with-whimsy story and Fagan absolutely nailed it in Animals.
Set in a quaint sleepy village that time if not forgot than maybe just didn’t hit quite as potently as some other places, this is a story of a place that had a terrible idea. The idea being allowing wild animals to stay with people. Randomly.
Of course, it’s all going to go to doodoo, but until then…
Until then, this is a story of a model maker named Dorn. A quiet unassuming man leading a quiet unassuming life and quietly pining away for a local schoolteacher.
For all his quiet charm, Dorn, much like this novel, wins you over easily and complete engages your attention. You’ll care about his journey, the people he meets, the difficult brother he contends with. A perfect protagonist, really.
And there’s something perfect about this novel too. Or maybe it just hit all the right notes for me. Either way, it was an absolute pleasure to read. Just a lovely, immersive, transporting experience, though it went by very quickly.
I’ve never heard of the author before (he’s Canadian), but this was a most auspicious introduction. A charming book through and through and not at all sappy or twee as these things tend to be. Great read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

The Animals by Cary Fagan has been described as a modern day fairy tale. It definitely has that quality about it. It is a unique, thought provoking story. Set in a small tourist village we meet Dorn, the model maker, who doesn't quite fit in, even though he has lived there his entire life. He has a crush on a school teacher, Ravenna, but does not have the courage to tell her his true feeling. We also meet his younger brother, Vin and their father. Neither of which seem to have much time or patience for Dorn. While Dorn is trying to live his life and move forward the government initiates a project where residents can "adopt" wild animals in to their homes. His brother is now living with a mink, and his next door neighbor brings in a wolf. As you can imagine, chaos ensues and Dorn tries to make sense of it all.
Dorn receives a strange commission from a mystery client that keeps him occupied, and serves as a bit of foreshadowing for what will be a disaster in the village. Dorn tries to change the course of his life by rushing towards the danger instead of away from it. At the core this is a story about who we are and who we can dare to be. It is about how no matter our age or circumstance, we can change our lives with the decisions and actions we make.

This was an interesting read! I loved the cover and was immediately attracted to the novel. I think the comparisons to Wes Anderson were quite accurate, as the cast and setting is very picturesque.