Unlikely Animals

Discuss the significance of Titanic!: The Musical to the narrative as a whole. What does it say about the community spirit of Everton?

How relevant is the historical figure of Rasputin to the fox of the same name and to the themes of the novel as a whole? How does Rasputin challenge the usually clear boundary between the wild and the domestic?

Consider the title of the novel, Unlikely Animals. What is the role played by the animals, real and imaginary, in the novel? How do they relate and contrast to the human characters? What do you think the author means with the adjective “unlikely”?

In Chapter 51, we learn that, contrary to Clive’s belief, The Sprite has no earthly ghost, or at least he is not sharing the same afterlife as Harold and the other ghosts. Why do you think this is? How does this revelation reflect on the portrayal of animals (and humans) throughout the novel?

Consider the depiction of Corbin Park in the novel and its symbolic associations for Clive, Harold, and the other residents of Everton. How does Corbin Park represent the ideas of crossing over and worlds blurring?

Discuss Hartnett’s use of dead narrators. How do they comment and reflect upon the plight of the living? The use of a narrative chorus recalls Greek tragedy. Why does Hartnett choose to evoke these classical traditions to tell Clive’s story?

How does Hartnett present Emma’s role as a teacher in Unlikely Animals? What are Emma’s worries about taking on the position? What does she learn from her pupils? How does she heal them, and how do they heal her?

Consider the function of the excerpts from The Collected Writings of Ernest Harold Baynes, which begin each section. How do they reflect/comment on the concerns of the narrative as a whole?