Animal Novels For Adults
We thought it would be fun to write a post about our favorite Animal novels for adults. There are so many kids’ books about animals, but we wanted to highlight novels about animals, books with animal main characters, and animal nonfiction books for adults.
If you are anything like us, you will be looking through this post and wondering how you never realized that some of your favorite books of all time are novels about animals.
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Animal Novels
Best Novels About Animals
Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Year: 2006
Genre: Historical Fiction
More info: A Major Motion Picture starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I read this book long before we started the blog and I still recommend this book to everyone as a must-read.
It is the middle of the Great Depression and Jacob is orphaned just shy of earning his Veterinary degree. He finds himself a job with a circus caring for a menagerie as a way to continue working with animals but also to support himself.
Here he meets Marlena, the beautiful star of the show, and an untrainable elephant named Rosie. I loved everything about this book from the romance and tension to the beauty of the animals and their relationship with the people around them.
Trigger Warnings
Animal Cruelty
Why Jackie loves it
This is a unique story, unlike anything I have ever read. I am a huge animal lover and so this book spoke to my heart
Why Kirsten loves it
The relationship between Marlena and Jacob develops beautifully with such love and respect. It is a love story to be remembered.
Find this book in: Animal Novels for Adults / Best Romance Novels of All Time / Historical Fiction Romance / Circus Books
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat
Author: Syou Ishida
Year: 2024
Genre: Fiction
More info: Translated by E. Madison Shimoda
Age Range: 14+
Plot
The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who need it (like the room of requirement in Harry Potter). With no address and no markings, the clinic prescribes cats as medication for all ailments. While the patients are confused at first, they grow, change, and find themselves through the love of a cat.
Trigger Warnings
Mental Illness
Why Jackie loves it
This a group of delightful stories about the power of love and attention from a cat. Each chapter is distinct characters and can be read quickly as a feel-good pick me up. It is also an adorable little book that feels so good in hand.
Find this book in: Animal Novels / List of Feel-Good Novels / Best Books in Translation
Life of Pi
Author: Yann Martel
Year: 2002
Genre: Fiction
More info: Winner of the Man Booker Prize
Age Range: 14+
Plot
When a boat sinks in the Pacific, the only survivors are a 16-year-old boy named Pi, an orangutan, a hyena, a Bengal tiger, and a zebra. And while this book was written less than 20 years ago, it is already a modern classic.
Trigger Warnings
Death, ship accident
Why Jackie loves it
This is not a book that once read can be forgotten. I know that some people look at the story as an extended metaphor in which each animal represents a person but personally, I like the book exactly the way it was written.
There is magic in the pages of this book in all meanings of the word. First, read this book, then, rethink everything. This is a perfect example of a thought-provoking book because no two people view it the same way.
Find this book in: Best Boat Books/ Best Magical Realism Books / Animal Novels For Adults / Thought-Provoking Books / Isolation Books and Thrillers
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
This is one of the animal novels that is an absolute must-read, from the brilliant and hilarious Steven Rowley. Ted is a single gay writer whose beloved dachshund, Lily, has cancer.
Ted will do anything to save his best friend and companion in this wonderful adventure that deals with loss and love in a way only Rowley can deliver.
Horse
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Year: 2022
Genre: Literary Historical Fiction
More info: Pulitzer Prize Winner
Age Range: 16+
Plot
An enslaved groomsman in Kentucky in 1850 has a way with horses and a deep connection with one beautiful horse. A gallery owner in the 1950s has an obsession with a painting of a horse. In 2019 a scientist working for the Smithsonian and an art historian are seeking answers. All of these stories are connected with one amazing horse!
Trigger Warnings
Racism, Slavery
Why Jackie loves it
This book for adults was recommended to me a dozen times over the last year and I am so glad that I finally read this amazing, sweeping story. I loved how this story came together and the fact that it was based on a real horse. But there is so much more to this story that examines race and slavery as well. The description does not do justice to this amazing book.
Find this book in: Animal Novels / Books About Sports / Best Full Cast Audiobooks
Animal Books for Adults with an Animal Narrator
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Author: Shelby Van Pelt
Year: 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: May 2022 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Instant New York Times Bestseller
Age Range: 12+
Plot
I haven’t read a novel with as much heart as this one in quite some time. Elderly, recently widowed Tova loves her job cleaning the aquarium in town in the quiet of the night, especially because of her fondness for Marcellus, the octopus. She finds solace in the aquarium as it makes her feel closer to her son, Erik – a marine life lover – who disappeared on a boat when he was 18.
But when she hurts herself and is unable to return to work at full capacity, she grows close with her replacement, Cameron, a young man who newly arrived in town looking for his birth mother.
Meanwhile, Marcellus knows what happened to Erik and he wants to help Tova find the closure she needs. His narration is interspersed with Tova and Cameron’s for a story that is compelling, heartwarming, and utterly unique.
I will be shoving this book into the hands of everyone who asks for a book recommendation because it’s my favorite book of 2022
Why Jackie loves it
This book has more heart than any book I have read in a long time. The unique perspective of a grumpy octopus may seem silly, but is brilliantly done and adds a unique perspective.
Why Kirsten loves it
The themes in this book, the plot, and the characters- especially Marcellus- really tugged at my heartstrings. I loved that Marcellus added some laughter and made me smile. I recently gave this book to my son and he adored it as much as I did.
Adaptation
The Netflix adaptation starring Sally Field finished filming in 2025. The movie, directed by Olivia Newman, is set to premiere in 2026.
Find this book in: Ultimate List of Feel-Good Books / Contemporary Fiction Books / Best Book Club Books / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2022 / Books Becoming Movies / The Best Audiobooks of All Time
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
April 2022 GMA Book Club Pick
I don’t even know where to begin with this unique contemporary fiction story. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 50s when women were expected to know their place in society — their place being the kitchen and the home.
Elizabeth struggles to be taken seriously in her field and as a single mother, in this amazing book. So when an offer to host a cooking show for women is put in her path, she reluctantly takes it.
She uses her no-nonsense attitude and chemistry principles to teach the women in America to not only cook but to follow their dreams outside of the home.
We love the fact that part of this quirky wonderful book is narrated by 6:30 (the dog). If you have not read this amazing book for book clubs and you are looking for some animal fiction books to add to your list, this one is a no-brainer.
Naamah by Sarah Blake
This is one of the most imaginative stories I’ve ever read. A retelling of the story of Noah’s ark from the perspective of his wife Naamah. The writing was poetic and almost psychedelic in quality.
Naamah is questioning her faith, her choices, and what it means to be a woman. The dreams, hallucinations, and visits to the future were used in novel ways during the Ark’s journey. This story had me rethinking the classic biblical tale. This is a pick on our LGBTQ books that is unlike any other.
Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Oh, this book. This pick from animal novels is a wonderful, heartbreaking, and uplifting story of love, loss, and family told as only a dog could.
This animal book for adults gives insights into human behavior as a dog would see it and is beautiful and humbling. After all, a dog is our best friend for a short time in our lives but we are their best friends for their entire lives.
A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans by W. Bruce Cameron
I read this book and it simultaneously broke my heart and confirmed everything that I ever hoped- that my beloved pets would come back to me over and over again throughout my life.
If you are an animal lover and you love dogs in particular, this pick from animal books for adults is heartwarming and poignant at the same time.
Classic Animal Books for Adults
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Oh, big white whale, how I despised you. I could not stand this boat book! My senior English professor is obsessed with it. We would get into debates CONSTANTLY, which actually made learning about it enjoyable and memorable.
But lordy, call me bored with this tale. (See what I did there?) Whaling, oil-making, and vulgar fishermen are not for me. So why is it on the list? Because lots of people ADORE this story. It’s not for me, but it might be for you! This is the quintessential animal book for adults.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm” tells the tale of a group of farm animals who kick out their human owner and try to run the place themselves. However, things go a bit haywire when the pigs, who are all about that brainpower, end up taking charge and becoming even more power-hungry than the humans they booted out.
This is a satire about the need for power and the old adage that power begets power. In this pick from animal novels, there are a lot more oinks.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
In this classic animal book for adults rabbits are forced to find a new home when their warren is destroyed. Led by Hazel and Fiver, they must face vicious rabbits and human threats.
When I read this as a child, I thought it was so cute. Now that I have read it again as an adult, this book is so much more.
More Books About Animals for Adults
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Epilogue
What are Your Favorite Animal Fiction Books?
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