Nine great books with nonhuman characters

Simon Van Booy has written more than a dozen works of fiction (including Night Came with Many Stars and The Presence of Absence) and is the editor of three volumes of philosophy. Raised in rural North Wales, Van Booy currently lives between London and New York, where he is a volunteer EMT for Central Park Medical Unit and RVAC. In early 2020, he rescued his first mouse.

His new novel is Sipsworth.

At Publishers Weekly Van Booy tagged

nine of my favorite books that feature animals as characters. The emotion between humans and animals in these titles feels so true that each book serves as a reminder for readers never to mistake a pigeon or a donkey or a mouse for just a pigeon, a donkey, or a mouse.

One title on the list:

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines

A boy’s friendship with a bird offers a sanctuary from the harsh conditions of his life in working class northern England.

Read about another entry on the list.

A Kestrel for a Knave is among four books that changed Tess Evans.

--Marshal Zeringue