The Animal Room

by Lauren Acampora

From the award-winning author of The Wonder Garden comes a set of linked stories spotlighting human-animal relations—and revealing the tensions that threaten to fracture a suburban New England community

Tensions simmer in small-town Connecticut. A city transplant is haunted by the deer carcass hanging in her neighbor’s garage. A psychiatric patient believes she’s becoming a bird. A disgraced oil executive invites his granddaughter’s kindergarten class to tour his home menagerie—what could go wrong? Rumors spread and fires burn in this second short story collection from award-winning author Lauren Acampora.

As in Acampora’s debut The Wonder Garden, The Animal Room delves deep into the town of Old Cranbury and its eclectic mix of residents. Incisive and moving, these stories chart the interconnected lives of neighbors, relatives, coworkers, enemies, lovers, and the animals around them, turning an unflinching eye to the natural world to shed light on human nature. Through its riveting ensemble, The Animal Room paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary American life that is strikingly unique.

Genres: Short Stories

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Lauren Acampora is the author of two novels, The Paper Wasp and The Hundred Waters, and two collections of linked stories, The Wonder Garden and The Animal Room (June 2026), all published by Grove Atlantic. The Animal Room features the story “Dominion,” which was selected for The Best American Short Stories 2025.

The Hundred Waters was named one of Vogue’s best books of the year, a LitHub best book of the summer, and one of The Millions’ most-anticipated books of 2022.

Lauren’s first novel, The Paper Wasp was named a Best Summer Read by The New York Times Book Review, USA Today, Oprah Magazine, ELLE, Town & Country, BBC.com, Daily Mail (UK), Tatler, Thrillist, and Publishers Weekly, as well as a Best Indie Novel of 2019 by Chicago Review of Books. It was also longlisted for The Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.

The Wonder Garden, a debut collection of linked stories, was named a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and an Indie Next selection, and was chosen as one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon and NPR. It won the GLCA New Writers Award and was a finalist for the New England Book Award. It was on the longlist for The Story Prize and nominated for the Kirkus Prize.

Lauren’s short fiction and other writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as The Paris Review, One Story, New England Review, Story Magazine, Guernica, Missouri Review, The Common, Prairie Schooner, Antioch Review, The New York Times, LitHub, and The Best American Short Stories 2025.

She graduated from Brown University, earned an MFA at Brooklyn College, and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale Foundation, Art OMI, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Lauren lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, daughter, and rescue dog.

Reviews

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often that I read a book so brilliant that it knocks my socks off. Lauren Acampora has accomplished this in a book that defies genres. It is a collection of interwoven short stories, each a living organism in its own right but clearly connected to the other stories included in the collection. Each story can be read and appreciated on its own, but, like Russian stacking dolls, they are not complete without the others, each related to the one it fits inside of or contains.

Animals are at the heart of this book - how we nurture them, how they fit into our lives, how they manifest themselves in the core of our being, and how they help us to preserve, or steal our sanity. They are tender and fierce, at once friends and foes. While we may think they are tamed, they are at one with their place in nature, sometimes at odds with human desires.

It is impossible to choose my favorite story. Each is wonderful in its own right. The connections are sometimes subtle, at other times obvious, but they are clearly apparent. Interestingly, there is no observable hierarchy or order to the stories, but they are linked together in fascinating ways.

They all appear to take place in an upper middle class suburban haven in Connecticut. They take place in homes, senior living facilities, schools, and even personal zoos. The protagonists vary socioeconomically, educationally, and by age and gender. All are seeking personal peace and well-being in their own way, many outside the cultural norms. What fascinated me was the cringy aspect of many of the characters. They were fighting wars that were outer manifestations of inner turmoil.

The stories are populated by varied characters. There is a teenager who thinks she is becoming a bird and the stories delve not only into her mental instability, but into the lives of her caregivers and family. Mental illness and struggles for survival are prevalent but judgment is reserved. I loved that the stories were intergenerational and that the ages and cultural milieus of characters differed widely. Many characters are searching for love while they're also dealing with the pain of misunderstandings and loss.

I can't say enough about this book. I have read other books of linked stories and have especially enjoyed those of Julia Phillips, Elizabeth Strout, Shannon Bowring, and Tommy Orange. If you love literary fiction and enjoy books that have components of trompe l'oeil, magical realism, and surrealism, then this book is for you. Actually, I think it has something for everyone and I give it my highest recommendation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with an early review copy of this book. It is scheduled for publication in June 2026.

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv)]

interconnected stories about our relationship to the natural world? a beautiful cover? oh you best believe this is hitting that most anticipated shelf

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

The Animal Room is a selection of stories based in one town in Connecticut, where characters of all different backgrounds, social classes and races weave through the stories and explore a connection (or not) with animals, whether that be the foreground or background of their lives.

At first I thought each story would be completely separated but I was happily surprised to find out we revisit characters however briefly in later chapters. Each story (chapter) holds its own but the connects gave the book something more. I really enjoyed the novel even though some chapters were difficult to read due to neglect, death or abuse but even those subjects were dealt with compassionately.

Can't wait to read more from Lauren Acampora. She will be an auto-buy from now on and I plan to pick up her previously released books.

Thanks to Grove Press for the arc via Netgalley.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I found The Animal Room to be beautifully written. The author's style is vivid, and she is attentive (maybe too much) to the details. Thanks to this, I can easily see why the book's rating is so high.

However, the stories themselves weren’t completely to my taste, and I didn’t manage to finish the book. It had this creepy yet emotional vibe that reminded me of Black Mirror. I am not a fan, but I see that there is a huge audience for it.
The second short story was my favorite. I can't fully catch why exactly, but for me it was less obscure - and maybe that's the only reason I need.

Overall, the book left a strong impression, especially due to the writing style - I would try other books by Lauren, even if the themes didn’t fully resonate with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC — I appreciated the opportunity.

[Remi]

i'm an animal friend.

*thank you to Grove Press for the ARC*