Animal People

A sharply observed 24-hour urban love story that follows Stephen Connolly—a character from Wood's bestselling novel
The Children
—through one of the worst days of his life.

On this stiflingly hot December day, Stephen has decided it's time to break up with his girlfriend Fiona. He's thirty-nine, aimless and unfulfilled, but without a clue how to make his life better. All he has are his instincts—and they may be his downfall.

As he makes his way through the pitiless city and the hours of a single day, Stephen must fend off his demanding family, endure another shift of his dead-end job at the zoo (and an excruciating workplace team-building event), face up to Fiona's aggressive ex-husband and the hysteria of a children's birthday party that goes terribly wrong.

As an ordinary day develops into an existential crisis, Stephen begins to understand—perhaps too late—that love is not a trap, and only he can free himself.

Hilarious, tender and heartbreaking,
Animal People
is a portrait of urban life, a meditation on the conflicted nature of human–animal relationships, and a masterpiece of storytelling.

The novel invites readers to question the way we think about animals: What makes an ‘animal person'? What value do we, as a society, place on the lives of creatures? Do we brutalise our pets even as we love them? What's wrong with anthropomorphism anyway? Filled with challenging ideas and shocks of recognition and revelation,
Animal People
shows a writer of great depth and compassion at work.

Praise for
Animal People

‘This is a compelling and ultimately moving novel that cements Wood's place as one of the most intelligent and compassionate novelists in Australia.'

A
NGELA
M
EYER
,
The Age

‘Charlotte Wood is one of our finest and most chameleonic writers . . . Wood's novels are often uncomfortable explorations of Australian life: seemingly modest in their ambition, the narratives are profound in their emotional scope . . . This is a beautiful, resounding tale of an ordinary man flailing. It's superb storytelling.'

R
EBECCA
S
TARFORD
,
The Australian

‘
Animal People
is the arch, poignant and funny story of Stephen, a no-hoper whose life unravels before his eyes as he is powerless to stop it . . . As the novel builds towards its climax, Wood's writing, consistently inventive and tightly crafted, notches up the lyric register and keeps the suspense. A few pages out from the end, I groaned. No, it can't be over yet. When I finished, I wanted to start it all over again.

C
LAIRE
S
COBIE
,
Sydney Morning Herald

‘. . . an empathy so profound that when I finished the novel, I sobbed into my pillow with the raw, impossible vulnerability that is “being human”.'

C
LARE
S
TRAHAN
,
Overland

‘Even tighter and more nuanced than Wood's highly acclaimed previous work; its theme is enhanced by a wealth of subtly animal-themed metaphors—wet-eyed children with star-fish lashes, a woman like a ruby-throated hummingbird—and its heart-tugging climax is unexpected, reassuring and deeply satisfying.'

K
ATHARINE
E
NGLAND
, Adelaide Advertiser

‘There is plenty of wry humour here, but it is anything but jaded. It is what we could all use: a fresh pair of eyes for looking at an ordinary world.'

E
LEANOR
L
IMPRECHT
,
Sunday Age

‘Charlotte Wood's
The Children
is among my favourite Australian novels: she's just so good at the dynamics of relationships and minute social observations that give worlds of information about the people and places she captures. Wood's writing reminds me of Helen Garner's, in that it's easy to read, but deceptively so: it's rich with ideas and absolutely distinctive in its voice . . .
Animal People
may centre on a pending break-up, but it's a romantic comedy of sorts, with some wonderful observational humour—particularly at the children's birthday party in the final third of the novel. Thoroughly recommended; it made me laugh and cry. What more could you ask for?

J
O
C
ASE
,
Readings Monthly

‘Young Australian writer Charlotte Wood is a class act . . . Wood's style is all intelligent observation. She maintains a sympathy for her characters even when their world seems grubby and hopeless. She weaves startling, specific descriptions into a plot without ever stalling or sounding pretentious. I found her descriptions of older people and upset children particularly moving, capturing humanity at its best and worst. Wood's books are an intimately rendered portrait of contemporary Australia and, as such, prompt readers to think about some of this country's real issues.'

A
NNA
F
ORWARD
,
Sunday Tasmanian

‘Wood is a supreme reader of people. She methodically pulls back layers of human behaviour to their most basic forms of some laugh-out-loud results.'

P
ATRICK
B
ILLINGS
,
Launceston Examiner

‘Wood's understanding of relationships and her ability to create characters that are recognisable but fresh are ever-present . . . Even the detail given to secondary characters is perfect and adds authenticity. Wood's sharp funny observations are flecked throughout and add moments of comfort even when Stephen's having a dog of a day.'

J
AMES
W
EIR
,
Courier Mail

‘I read
Animal People
in one weekend and for me it had the intense, sustained poetic focus I usually associate with short stories—and an ending that packed such a punch I was almost winded . . . There are many moments of truth and beauty in
Animal People
.'

J
ANE
G
LEESON
-W
HITE, AUTHOR OF
Double Entry

‘Wood having a gentle dig at anthropomorphism, her softly-softly style so subtle you only realise how clever the writing is when exhaling at story's end.'

Qantas Magazine

‘This is a sharply observed and often very funny portrait of an alienated man trying to make sense of the world . . . the novel's playful sense of the absurd is never far from the surface and keeps a jaunty tone.'

C
AROLINE
B
AUM
,
Better Homes & Gardens

‘It is said that it's the element of psychology—of peering into someone's very soul—that separates literary fiction from genre stuff, and if that's true, then
Animal People
is literature with a capital L.'

South Coast Register

‘Wood is a consummate observer of the human condition. She distils the dynamics of families and the interactions of daily life, and writes about them with honesty and restraint . . . You don't have to be a man to empathise with Stephen Connolly. His core dilemmas are universal. Wood frames them in a character whom it would be easy to dismiss in the hands of a lesser writer.'

M
IRIAM
Z
OLIN
,
Australian Book Review

Praise for
The Children

‘. . .
The Children
is beautifully and tightly shaped around Geoff Connolly lying insensate, tied to a breathing machine. His family waits, attacking one another but also finding and creating surprising moments of tenderness . . . Wood . . . has the ability to evoke matters of life and death without straining for effect. Her prose is convincing and her images precise . . .'

D
OROTHY
J
OHNSTON
,
Sydney Morning Herald

‘The bringing-together of an atomised family for an occasion or crisis is a time-honoured narrative strategy in fiction and film, and Wood makes the most of its possibilities both for drama and for social commentary . . . The reunion of three childless adult siblings plus their mother and brother-in-law makes for some very astute observation of how that family dynamic plays out, and also for some rather grim comedy as the demons of childhood rivalry and dislike re-emerge as ferocious and illogical as they were the first time around.'

K
ERRYN
G
OLDSWORTHY
,
The Age

‘Charlotte Wood's writing is haunting, building tension so subtly the action hits like an unexpected blow. Her characters are wounded and human, their dialogue profound without meaning to be. Simple and real, this is a beautifully heavy and affecting story that will linger in your mind long after you've read the last page.' **** Highly recommended.

A
NABEL
P
ANDIELLA
,
Good Reading

‘
The Children
captivates from the first dramatic paragraph . . . transfixing . . . An Australian Jodi Picoult? Definitely comparable to Picoult's themes, but more aware of, and attuned and appealing to Australian readers of the literary family drama, laced with social commentary and mystery.' **** An excellent book

L
UCY
M
EREDITH
,
Bookseller & Publisher

‘Intriguing . . . excellent reading.'

G
RAHAM
C
LARK
,
Courier-Mail

‘This is a blisteringly good book from an author who seems to go from strength to strength.'

I
AN
N
ICHOLS
,
West Australian

CHARLOTTE WOOD

This edition published in 2012
First published in 2011

Copyright © Charlotte Wood 2011

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