A Real Animal

by Emeline Atwood

First Novel Prize 2026 · Shortlist

A Real Animal Emeline Atwood

Reception

Rave reviews. 4 of 5 critics gave a rave.

Rave 4 · Positive 1 · Mixed 0 · Pan 0

“Rendered in forty pages of rich but effortless prose, the first chapter…is about as shocking and vivid as they come, setting an energetic pace for the novel that Atwood largely…”

Chicago Review of Books · Devyn Andrews · Rave

2 more quotes

“Atwood’s debut is a refreshing take on what it means to come of age in a world that feels both unpredictable and stagnant.”

Library Journal · Megan Howell · Rave
“With haltingly realistic depictions, rebuking magical realism or the over-romanticization of human-animal connection, Atwood explores the instinctual drives of human nature”

Austin Chronicle · Caroline Drew · Positive

All 5 reviews on Book Marks

2026
Chicago Review of Books
Reviewed by Devyn Andrews, 9 July
2026
The New Yorker
Reviewed, 27 July
2026
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Shortlist

Read the 2 reviews

The New Yorker · 27 July 2026

Briefly Noted

Also reviews Talking Classics by Mary Beard, The Cruelty of Nice Folks by Justin Ellis and Glyph by Ali Smith

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Chicago Review of Books · 9 July 2026

Love and Human Nature in “A Real Animal”

Our review of Emeline Atwood’s debut novel, "A Real Animal." The post Love and Human Nature in “A Real Animal” appeared first on Chicago Review of Books .

By Devyn Andrews

Read at Chicago Review of Books (opens in a new tab)

Center for Fiction First Novel Prize 2026 shortlist