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In a quaint tourist village, Dorn makes miniature scale models displayed in the local shops. Yet life is far from idyllic; he suffers under the thumb of a rich, philandering younger brother and an unloving father, and cannot find the courage to admit his love to Ravenna, the ungainly schoolteacher.
Life takes a strange turn when the government-sponsored "Wild Home Project" is introduced and wolves, rats, minks, otters, and bears move into villagers' homes. Soon, Dorn receives a mysterious commission, finds a body in a park, and has several run-ins with a former classmate-turned police officer. When fire breaks out, Dorn takes on the unlikely role of hero in the hope of changing the course of his life.
A realist novel with the air of a fairy tale,
The Animals is a surprising, funny, and thought-provoking story that explores the nature of relationships faunal and human, and reminds us of the challenges of finding one's place in society . . . and that living with a wolf is not a very good idea.
About the author
CARY FAGAN is the author of eight novels and six short story collections. He has won many awards, including a Foreward Indies Silver Award for Humor, the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Fiction, and the Toronto Book Award. He has also been nominated for various prizes, including the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction, the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Award, and the Giller Prize. Fagan's work has been translated into French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, Turkish, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Korean and Persian, and he is also a "beloved" (
Quill & Quire) author of books for children. He lives in Toronto.
