I am a big believer of Europa Editions, the publisher that brings a significant amount of great recent literature to the often insular US publishing world. When I came across ANIMALS I assumed it was yet another surface coming of age tale of the privileged girl in the city. But instead I found a laugh-out-loud, darkly humored, and emotionally raw novel written with the control of a polished writer. There is more joy and self awareness in the story of Laura and Tyler’s friendship and bildungsroman than I have read in some time. I plan on stalking the writing of Unsworth from now on.
