WINNER, NSW Premier's Literary Awards - People's Choice Award

SHORTLISTED, NSW Premier's Literary Awards - Christina Stead Prize

SHORTLISTED, Nita B. Kibble Award

LONGLISTED, Miles Franklin Literary Award


Acclaimed novelist Charlotte Wood takes a character from her bestselling book The Children and turns her unflinching gaze on him and his world in her extraordinary novel, Animal People. Set in Sydney over a single day, Animal People traces a watershed day in the life of Stephen, aimless, unhappy, unfulfilled - and without a clue as to how to make his life better.

His dead-end job, his demanding family, his oppressive feelings for Fiona and the pitiless city itself . the great weight of it all threatens to come crashing down on him. The day will bring untold surprises and disasters, but will also show him - perhaps too late - that only love can set him free.

Sharply observed, hilarious, tender and heartbreaking, Animal People is a portrait of urban life, a meditation on the conflicted nature of human-animal relationships, and a masterpiece of storytelling. Filled with shocks of recognition and revelation, it shows a writer of great depth and compassion at work.

'Consistently inventive and tightly crafted' - Sydney Morning Herald

'A compelling and ultimately moving novel that cements Wood's place as one of the most intelligent and compassionate novelists in Australia.' - The Age