A Real Animal

One of CULTURED‘s 2026 Young Writers
Marie Claire, A Best Book of the Month
Literary Hub, A Summer Must-Read
Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Time, Our Culture, PureWow, Debutiful, & Literary Hub

“An astonishing debut with a compelling voice.” —Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

“Emeline Atwood’s debut novel stirs with edgy sex, anger, and transcendence.” —Hamilton Cain, Time

“Raw and captivating, this bildungsroman is more rewarding than most others out there.” —Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture

“Stunning . . . A Real Animal depicts violence and trauma in a refreshing, often surprising way—a captivating, remarkable debut.” —Sam Franzini, Our Culture

“This book knocked my socks off with an unreliable (but weirdly relatable) narrator who keeps making bad decisions, but you root for nonetheless.” —Jillian Quint, PureWow

“A powerhouse. Atwood’s book is simply one of the best books I’ve read since I started covering books. She perfectly writes the turbulent time when one finishes college and enters ‘adulthood’—whatever that means.” —Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

“This is a book that is a caliber above and beyond what we have come to expect from the young-twenties-girl-bildungsroman. There’s men, yes, and sex, a lot of it, and yearning to be understood, and for power and a place in the world, but A Real Animal is about the wild, deep, feral core of those themes . . . The book has this feeling about it, like there’s so much within the pages that’s just bursting to get out: a violent and powerful urge for something, for more survival, for more agency, to express one’s pain, to feel better. A Real Animal is as raw and visceral as an open-mouthed scream: you hear it in your bones. You can see its teeth.” —Julia Hass, Literary Hub

“[A] propulsive and stunning debut . . . Readers will be held captive by Lucy’s exciting voice.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“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 (starred review)

“Lucy’s human life is painted in exquisite detail, relatable for all, which grounds the magical realism without missing a beat, making for a cathartic and innovative construction.” —Booklist

“Older teens will find comfort and catharsis in Lucy’s fierce transformation.” —Booklist (YA)

”Emeline Atwood’s Lucy is a marvelous, maddening, monstrous creation and A Real Animal is an irresistible whirlpool of a novel.” —Joy Williams

“Emeline Atwood’s A Real Animal is a strange and astonishing and entirely original book, full of darkness shot through with light, wild and tender. Atwood writes brilliantly about our interior, personal wildernesses, the snarling, wounded animal at the heart of any person. Lucy is an unforgettable narrator: compelling, terrifying, lovable, surprising, human. She, and this book, are extraordinary.” —Elizabeth McCracken, author of The Hero of This Book

“The gorgeous writing in A Real Animal makes its protagonist’s risky behavior all the more harrowing—Lucy’s intelligence does not necessarily protect her. I feared for the young woman with the extravagant sense of what intimacy looks like, creating near-constant suspense in this powerful debut.” —Amy Hempel

“In a moment when we often find ourselves numb and distracted, Emeline Atwood has given us an enlivening and powerful novel about what it means to dwell and be changed. It gets under your skin. Atwood is an ambitious writer, as at home in the colloquial as she is in the lyrical. A tremendous accomplishment.” —Stephanie Wambugu, author of Lonely Crowds

“A Real Animal is an absolute marvel—at once dark and luminous, raw and poignant, feral in its originality and brilliant in its delivery. Emeline Atwood is a breathtaking writer, and her first novel is a lithe, muscular, and beautifully dangerous tour de force.” —Bret Anthony Johnston, author of We Burn Daylight