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Only Animals
"Chelsea Sutton’s stories are so enthralling and vividly imagined that I read this collection first in one long drink—and then, as is best with each story so self-contained and singular—I read it again as if doing shots—one by one, stopping to savor and think about the scene. The magic of transformation in each narrative is pure and undeniable."
— Susan Straight, bestselling author of MECCA and IN THE COUNTRY OF WOMEN
“Chelsea Sutton’s ONLY ANIMALS is bursting with tiny delights. These stories dive into the absurdities of life with language that is devilishly alive and always surprising. Sit down and treat yourself to an afternoon with this lovely and bold collection by an exceptionally imaginative writer.”
— Natalie Lima, Best Small Fictions and Best American Essays
"Chelsea Sutton's chapbook ONLY ANIMALS is whimsical yet brutal. In this collection of flash stories, Sutton expertly creates a world full of unique human and non-human characters who in one way or another discover their place in the world through the physical body. Whether in transmogrification, death, or missing body parts—each piece gracefully explores the themes of acceptance, identity, and collective vulnerability. This is not one to miss."
— Lauren Gorski, Editor at Exposition Review
— Susan Straight, bestselling author of MECCA and IN THE COUNTRY OF WOMEN
“Chelsea Sutton’s ONLY ANIMALS is bursting with tiny delights. These stories dive into the absurdities of life with language that is devilishly alive and always surprising. Sit down and treat yourself to an afternoon with this lovely and bold collection by an exceptionally imaginative writer.”
— Natalie Lima, Best Small Fictions and Best American Essays
"Chelsea Sutton's chapbook ONLY ANIMALS is whimsical yet brutal. In this collection of flash stories, Sutton expertly creates a world full of unique human and non-human characters who in one way or another discover their place in the world through the physical body. Whether in transmogrification, death, or missing body parts—each piece gracefully explores the themes of acceptance, identity, and collective vulnerability. This is not one to miss."
— Lauren Gorski, Editor at Exposition Review
48 pages, Paperback
Published January 29, 2026
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 28, 2024
Note: Thank you Wrong Publishing for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.75/5
Only Animals by Chelsea Sutton is a chapbook-length short story collection, one that contains a dark, mysterious world that’s rich with lush language. While reading this collection, I couldn’t help but admire Sutton’s suburb writing skills. Each of the stories were unsettling and dangerous in their own way, whether due to ever-changing bodies, the loss of freedom, and even grief. Furthermore, the stories’ unnerving tone was well-balanced with the previously mentioned beautiful imagery, and some of my favorite moments were the following:
“Auggie imagined sitting under the shade of the lemon tree, smelling the aroma of the blossoming high chair, eating berries from her mother’s ears and feeling the softness of her mother’s hair-turned leaves” (23).
“At the highest point of daylight, the grandmother seemed to radiate like a lamppost or a tiki torch, her skull now just a mirror bursting its reflections to every corner of the yard, temporarily blinding a neighbor who happened to peek through a knot in the fence” (30).
“My mother sighs and says death and crying are such repulsive things, especially when seen together, good lord, we might as well be animals, only animals would make such a mess of themselves” (33).
Furthermore, despite the stories’ strangeness, there was still familiarity within them. One such familiar subject was love. There’s so much grief within the collection, all due to the loss of precious relationships with others and even oneself. While many of the stories here focused on the delicate balance of loss and love, “Brainpink Umber” handled these concepts with the upmost grace, to the point where the ending nearly brought me to tears.
Overall, Only Animals is a lovely collection that transports readers to a dark and eerie world, one that strangely, somehow, still resembles our own. I am excited to read more of Chelsea Sutton’s work in the future, and I encourage you all to do the same.
4.75/5
Only Animals by Chelsea Sutton is a chapbook-length short story collection, one that contains a dark, mysterious world that’s rich with lush language. While reading this collection, I couldn’t help but admire Sutton’s suburb writing skills. Each of the stories were unsettling and dangerous in their own way, whether due to ever-changing bodies, the loss of freedom, and even grief. Furthermore, the stories’ unnerving tone was well-balanced with the previously mentioned beautiful imagery, and some of my favorite moments were the following:
“Auggie imagined sitting under the shade of the lemon tree, smelling the aroma of the blossoming high chair, eating berries from her mother’s ears and feeling the softness of her mother’s hair-turned leaves” (23).
“At the highest point of daylight, the grandmother seemed to radiate like a lamppost or a tiki torch, her skull now just a mirror bursting its reflections to every corner of the yard, temporarily blinding a neighbor who happened to peek through a knot in the fence” (30).
“My mother sighs and says death and crying are such repulsive things, especially when seen together, good lord, we might as well be animals, only animals would make such a mess of themselves” (33).
Furthermore, despite the stories’ strangeness, there was still familiarity within them. One such familiar subject was love. There’s so much grief within the collection, all due to the loss of precious relationships with others and even oneself. While many of the stories here focused on the delicate balance of loss and love, “Brainpink Umber” handled these concepts with the upmost grace, to the point where the ending nearly brought me to tears.
Overall, Only Animals is a lovely collection that transports readers to a dark and eerie world, one that strangely, somehow, still resembles our own. I am excited to read more of Chelsea Sutton’s work in the future, and I encourage you all to do the same.
May 2, 2024
Only Animals by Chelsea Sutton is an eclectic and creative collection of stories that I truly enjoyed reading. These stories left me thinking outside the box and had me delve into a series of imagery and symbolism to grasp their meanings.
"Fish Bowl: a play" was a very interesting and very curious story. It has that whole "turning of the tables" feel to it. As was "The Fold." I loved the open ending of "The Stargazer" because it left much to the reader's imagination.
"There Is No Baby In This Story" said so much with so little. I loved how Auggie stayed resolute in her decision not to give in to her mother's expectations. In fact, Auggie was such a lovable character in this story! I kinda knew what her mother meant about finally understanding the value of the unpleasant highchair one day, but for Auggie, it was just a thing that was too uncomfortable for her to sit in or enjoy as a baby. Yet instead of getting rid of it after it comes into her possession, she honors her mother's feelings for it in such a beautiful way.
The title story was an excellent read. It says so much about how we handle grief. Grief is different for everyone, but some people think it must be the same for everyone everywhere. I like how the daughter finds someone to connect with in the grief support group and the discussions they have. And I absolutely LOVED the ending of this story, how it all comes together.
Only Animals is a collection of stories that takes the reader beyond a normal reading experience. It pulls the reader into a world where everything is upside down and inside out. It offers readers bits and pieces of truth and meaning, holding its breath as it waits for the reader to finally gasp with understanding. That understanding shines this story collection in a brand-new light, one in which this reader was grateful to have the chance of experiencing.
"Fish Bowl: a play" was a very interesting and very curious story. It has that whole "turning of the tables" feel to it. As was "The Fold." I loved the open ending of "The Stargazer" because it left much to the reader's imagination.
"There Is No Baby In This Story" said so much with so little. I loved how Auggie stayed resolute in her decision not to give in to her mother's expectations. In fact, Auggie was such a lovable character in this story! I kinda knew what her mother meant about finally understanding the value of the unpleasant highchair one day, but for Auggie, it was just a thing that was too uncomfortable for her to sit in or enjoy as a baby. Yet instead of getting rid of it after it comes into her possession, she honors her mother's feelings for it in such a beautiful way.
The title story was an excellent read. It says so much about how we handle grief. Grief is different for everyone, but some people think it must be the same for everyone everywhere. I like how the daughter finds someone to connect with in the grief support group and the discussions they have. And I absolutely LOVED the ending of this story, how it all comes together.
Only Animals is a collection of stories that takes the reader beyond a normal reading experience. It pulls the reader into a world where everything is upside down and inside out. It offers readers bits and pieces of truth and meaning, holding its breath as it waits for the reader to finally gasp with understanding. That understanding shines this story collection in a brand-new light, one in which this reader was grateful to have the chance of experiencing.
June 1, 2024
My favorite books are ones where when you put down the book, you stand up and walk around and the way you see the world has changed. This is true with these beautiful, delightful, disturbing, bizarre, wonderfully weird short stories. My favorite is "Fish Bowl: A Play". If you are disconcerted by a line like "The Mashed Potatoes are played by Nicholas Cage" this may not be the story collection for you.
I'll admit I am biased...I am lucky enough to know Chelsea and consider her a friend. Still, I adored these stories and am looking forward to revisiting them whenever I need a perspective adjustment.
I'll admit I am biased...I am lucky enough to know Chelsea and consider her a friend. Still, I adored these stories and am looking forward to revisiting them whenever I need a perspective adjustment.
April 16, 2024
Maybe this isn't the right word, but I found most of this collection to be...fun? Several of the stories--including "Ursula the Monster," where the main character builds herself into a monster bit by bit--filled me with equal parts glee and unease. At the same time, as someone with a family history of dementia, I found the second-to-last story, "Brainpink Umber," both moving and unsettling.
All in all, Chelsea Sutton is a masterful writer. These pieces of flash fiction pack a punch. I think a few of the really short stories (one page or less) also could pass as prose poems. Check it out.
All in all, Chelsea Sutton is a masterful writer. These pieces of flash fiction pack a punch. I think a few of the really short stories (one page or less) also could pass as prose poems. Check it out.
May 19, 2024
The author describes her writing style as gothic whimsy and magical realism, which is a perfect way to describe this collection. Each story is different than the other giving the reader a fun smorgasbord of literary fun to read through. I highly enjoyed this collection of short stories a recommend it to any reader who likes to be challenged with mixed genres and good writing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews