Animals

by Jerrod Edson

103 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2025

About the author

Author of seven books. Recipient of The David Adams Richards Prize, Relit Award shortlist. Most recent titles include the novella ANIMALS (2025) and the novel THE BOULEVARD (2023), available at Amazon, Indigo, and Galleon Books.

Reviews

[Jim Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novellas are great: a longer short story and a shorter
long story. ANIMALS is no exception, and if I attempt
to even remotely describe it, I will not only fail, but
will ruin the reader's enjoyment of this gem. Suffice
it to say that I was never a hunter of animals, and
I am happy to be able to say that, especially after
reading this book.

[Lit Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend reading this while hiding in a closet or under a desk.

Animals is a quick, fast-paced novella of just over 100 pages that I read in one sitting while enjoying my morning coffee.

It reminded me of Tender is The Flesh, but less extreme. It takes the idea of hunting for sport and flips it on its head. You’re following the PoV of three people actively fleeing for their lives while being hunted, as well as the PoVs of the hunters.

Edson does something really interesting in introducing you to the characters on both sides. In less than 100 pages he’s able to flesh out each character, their wants, needs, and motivations. He makes you understand them and their perspectives while not sugar coating the reality of what’s going on or the gravity and horrors of sport hunting.

Absolutely worth a read. Another great book with incredible ideas and prose that really makes you think.

I should mention that I received a copy as a gift from the author but have not been asked for a review. My thoughts are my own, and my recommendation is to read this as soon as possible.

[John A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book found me at the exact time I was going through a bit of an identity crisis as it pertains to a certain pursuit. I’ve enjoyed this pursuit for decades, but as I’m getting older, I am feeling more sentimentally attached to the targets of this passion.
Animals is a very clean, very quick read, and it helped me realize that, as an animal lover, I may need to move on to other activities.
Funny how a story catches you at just the right time.

After reading The Boulevard last year, I knew the author was a special talent, but Animals reads even better. It’s one of the more engaging novellas I’ve come across in the last few years.

An easy 5 stars.

[Warren Layberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

Dark and gripping right out of the gate. Then featuring a disorienting twist seemingly lifted straight from a Farside cartoon but made unsettling when you realize it's not going to be played for laughs. At all. And the whole thing masterfully taken to a grim, unflinching conclusion all in just over a hundred pages.

Pitch perfect from beginning to end.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

True originality is rare. In Animals, a taut and occasionally gruesome novella-length narrative, Jerrod Edson has written an allegory that explores territory in the fictional landscape that (in this reader’s experience) remains largely uncharted. The problem with reviewing a book of such stunning uniqueness is that a significant portion of the pleasure of reading it derives from the gradually dawning realization of exactly what it is you’re reading. Thus, a brief description will have to suffice. Edson divides the narrative into three streams, in each of which the human characters face quickly developing life-threatening situations. The story’s shocking impact comes from its persuasive depiction of a type of casual brutality that, undisputedly and perhaps inevitably, over hundreds of years and in various forms, helped build and sustain human civilization. This brutality occurs universally across our world every single day, and it’s probably fair to say that many people, if they think about it at all, would likely dismiss it as a cost (just one of many) of maintaining society in its present form. But in Animals, Jerrod Edson forces the reader to consider and experience this brutality from a different perspective and maybe even to question beliefs and opinions long ingrained in the human psyche. This is a book for the adventurous and inquisitive adult reader of literary fiction, and one that students of contemporary fiction must read. Its power is undeniable and its message unforgettable.