* Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, Shortlist From the Readings announcement, on New Animal by Ella Baxter: "This confident and gritty debut about a young make-up artist working in a mortuary takes the reader places they will never expect. Witty, emotional and raw, Amelia''s story is also laugh-out-loud funny, somewhat bizarre (in a good way), and unlike anything else you have ever read." "While this novel is peppered with scenes in kink clubs and the macabre of Amelia''s profession -- and is also, in places obscenely funny -- this is a story of a young woman who has to figure out how to live without her mother and has to also understand how her two dads will put aside their differences to hold her through the loss of the woman they both loved. There is fiction about grief and then there is Ella Baxter''s New Animal. Truly stunning." --Wendy J. Fox, Buzzfeed, "16 Upcoming Books From Indie Presses You''ll Love" "This strange, sexy, wonderful novel by Australian author Baxter follows a woman who works in her family''s mortuary and processes the grief of a loved one''s passing by an exploration of local kink clubs." --Lydia Kiesling, The Millions, "Most Anticipated: The Great First-Half 2022 Book Preview" "In this raw, arresting novel, Amelia Aurelia--a cosmetic mortician--goes into a tailspin after the death of her mother.
Included in the tailspin are: a trip to Tasmania, an uncertain communion with her birth father, dating apps, a BDSM club, kink-related paperwork, a horse head, painting a man''s face with menstrual blood, mean texts. Ultimately, is a book about something that seems obvious, but so often isn''t: the inextricability of mind and body, and the importance of our connections with other people." --Emily Temple, Lit Hub, "Most Anticipated Books of 2022" "Baxter''s prose is a living thing, wild and snarling, its jagged claws and honed teeth unforgiving and relentless. Amelia stokes empathy as a woman seeking absolution down dead ends. Her codependency and repression are addressed in frank terms--"Other people have always been the canary in the mine for me"--and every beat of dark comedy is paired with an empathetic wince as Amelia forces herself past her limits. New Animal is at turns graphic, disturbing, and tender--in other words: human." --Danielle Ballantyne, Foreword "In her incredible debut, Baxter combines dark humor with a complex protagonist and bold narration to both astound and devastate her readers. Amelia is a memorable heroine who is raw with grief as she struggles with and explores the paradox of finding harmony in the dichotomy of life and death.
" --Emily Park, Booklist "At turns a rollicking sexual romp almost slapstick in its intensity and an existential meditation filled with the languid profundity of bodies at their final rest, this unusual novel navigates the most treacherous of emotional territories--the fault lines between love and grief, sex and death--with a deliberate lack of grace and real charm. A tragicomic debut by an impressive new voice." --Kirkus "Australian writer Baxter debuts with a raw and mordant story of a woman processing her grief, sexuality, and family relationships. Baxter delicately balances the emotional heft of the situation with dark humor (Amelia, asked how she identifies while on the way to a kink club, responds, ''Human woman, tired, sad, on a date with you, not wholly sure what a sadist is'') and finds clever ways to push Amelia toward coming to terms with her limits. It adds up to a convincing look at a young woman''s path toward self-acceptance." --Publishers Weekly "Trying to escape trauma by running away is hardly a new narrative concept but Baxter''s writing is so forthright, her protagonist so raw and unmediated in her feelings, thoughts and flailing at the ''arrowhead of sorrow'' that New Animal makes for compelling reading." --Thuy On, The Sydney Morning Herald "Ella Baxter''s New Animal is a raw, arresting debut, toothy and surprising--a novel that manages to deeply consider the molten core of human experience (read: death, sex, memory, grief) while also poking fun at it. The result is an affecting, sometimes alarming balancing act that will worm its way inside your consciousness and absolutely refuse to leave.
" --Emily Temple, author of The Lightness "Ella Baxter''s ambitious debut New Animal tousles with themes of loss, grief, and humanity. Her protagonist, Amelia, charts a path forward in the face of the death of her mother through engagement with the local BDSM community. Ultimately, however, it is Amelia''s submission to vulnerability that rounds out her character arc. Throughout, Amelia is plagued by a feeling of dissociation between her mind and body--she wishes that one were able to exist without the other. By the novel''s conclusion, she has been able to reconcile these two halves of her existence, and recognize that both are essential components of her whole self. The novel serves as a gentle reminder for those of us who tend to bury emotions that oftentimes it is best to simply allow ourselves to feel, a testament to the strength that can be found in allowing oneself vulnerability." --Meghana Kandlur, Seminary Co-op Bookstores (Chicago, IL) " New Animal is a wonderfully tender book. Ella Baxter doesn''t shy away from any of the messiness of humanity, choosing instead to lean in, hard, and unpack all the ways that grief breaks us down and ultimately reshapes us.
It''s feral and raw, laugh out loud funny in parts, and absolutely the kind of family mess I love best. Baxter is a delightful writer and New Animal is a hell of a read." --Kristen Arnett, New York Times -bestselling author of With Teeth and Mostly Dead Things " New Animal is filled with death and darkness, yet Baxter''s prose feels so very alive. A novel that''s core is ultimately one of hope, a complex, heartfelt ballad to the strange, sloppy ways we find ourselves growing into the people we were meant to become." --Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl "How Baxter manages to make the journey of a motherless funerary mortician surrendering to the Tasmanian BDSM scene feel universal is testament to what this unique novel has to say about the effects of mourning on our bodies and our souls. Raw, courageous, and--somehow--super fun." --Courtney Maum, author of Touch and Costalegre "New Animal is morbidly life-affirming, hilariously grief-stricken, sexy and lonely and lovely. Like a first date that goes way deep, like a coffin buried not quite deep enough.
Ella Baxter''s prose is an exciting new animal I won''t soon forget." --Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary "I loved this macabre, mordant, and very moving book. New Animal surprised and comforted me with its deft investigations of grief, power, and self, and with its beautiful prose. This is an economical novel that packs a major emotional punch." --Lydia Kiesling, author of The Golden State "I inhaled Ella Baxter''s New Animal , which is the sort of animal that is all spine, all teeth. The deftness of her prose, which is so damn funny, along with such a poignant and true and entertaining story, make this a book that positively glitters. Ella Baxter''s New Animal is an animal that is so animal it''s human." --Lindsay Hunter, author of Eat Only When You''re Hungry "[ New Animal is] a story about sex, connection and, comically, the Tasmanian BDSM scene, that is by turns profound and funny.
" --Kylie Northover, The Age " New Animal is a rendering of a complex moment in time--a portrait of a young woman at the precipice of great personal change and growth--and is moving in its portrayal." --Georgia Brough, Books + Publishing "A stunning, heartbreakingly funny novel about sex, death, grief, and running away." --Steffanie Tan, Pedestrian "Most striking was Baxter''s sincerity and thoughtful, nuanced approach to storytelling." --Giulia Brugliera, Fashion Journal " New Animal is about death and death adjacent things, but it feels flooded with life. Same with the whole ''devastating/hilarious'' thing: it''s not a balance of two states, but an exploration of their simultaneity." --Mia Walsch, Archer "Ella Baxter''s debut novel New Animal is a soulful and intimate comedy that fearlessly questions our attitudes towards death and sex. The novel''s profound descriptions of the body provide an anchor for Baxter''s honest and tender depictions of grief, which are contr.