5 Amazing Animal Fiction Books

Some of these are books about being a veterinarian while others are just animal fiction books that you won’t want to put down. No matter if you are in high school, college, veterinary school, medical school, a vet tech, or just love animal fiction books, these books for animal lovers will make you empathize like never before.  Every single one of these animal fiction books you won’t want to put down. 

Each of these books will immerse you into another world especially the fiction book about being a veterinarian – Unsaid.   

If you need some light reading in between studying for organic chemistry or immunology, these fiction books about animals will not disappoint you!

Any of these books are perfect veterinary technician gift ideas!

One of The Best Fiction Books About Being a Veterinarian

Unsaid by Neil Abramson

This book for animal lovers will stay with you, haunting you for a long time. It might even cause you to sob uncontrollably, and will probably break your heart again and again. The book is about Helena, a veterinarian, her husband, an attorney, and all of the animals that touched their lives. Unsaid fully demonstrates the powerful effect that animals have on our lives.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot here in this review. Anything said could trivialize the book and this masterpiece does not deserve that. The story revolves around life, death, and getting things right. If you are an animal lover, please read this book.

“There’s a difference between unspoken and unsaid,” Jaycee says. “Just because chimpanzees cannot speak doesn’t mean they have nothing to say; the ability to vocalize thoughts is not the same as the ability to acquire and use language…Language is really just a systematic means of communication through symbols or sounds. Almost all animals use language. The problem is that when it comes to the issue of language, humans are incredibly narcissistic. Since we literally hold the key to their cages, our language is the only one that counts.”

One of The Best Animal Fiction Books That You Won’t Want To Put Down

Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume

The countless awards won by Sara Baume’s Spill Simmer Falter Wither are no accident. Ray takes in an old dog in Spill Simmer Falter, a sad and dark story. The dog and Ray have both been through a lot. If you enjoy stories about social outcasts and the importance of animal companionship, read this now. Anyone planning to pursue a career in veterinary medicine should read this book. It will help you empathize with your clients. 

If you are not afraid of reading a powerfully emotive book that some may describe as “bleak” then get this one NOW!

 Another Great Fiction Book About Veterinarians

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants has won many awards for best fiction, is on many books for animal lovers lists, and was on the New York Times Bestseller list. It is a fairly easy read that will get you involved in the story immediately. Water for Elephants is a dark book that does not glorify the circus but rather draws us into the lives of real-life depression-era people and a veterinarian named Jacob. Definitely an animal fiction book for animal lovers.

“I open the orangutan’s door and set a pan of fruits, vegetables, and nuts on the floor. As I close it, her long arm reaches through the bars. She points at an orange in another pan.

‘That? You want that?’

She continues to point, blinking at me with close-set eyes. Her features are concave, her face a wide platter fringed with red hair. She’s the most outrageous and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

‘Here,’ I say, handing her the orange. ‘You can have it.’

She takes it and sets it on the floor. Then she reaches out again. After several seconds of serious misgivings, I hold out my hand. She wraps her long fingers around it, then lets go. She sits on her haunches and peels her orange.

I stare in amazement. She was thanking me.”

A Review of the Famous Alex the Parrot Book

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence—and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg. Alex the parrot book is one of the best nonfiction books about animals out there.

This book walks us through the extraordinary relationship between Irene Pepperberg and Alex the African Grey parrot. Alex formed a deep bond with Irene Pepperberg and all of her graduate students that were working on the cognitive capabilities of African Grey parrots. The book also touches on the challenges of a professional researcher and the challenges to finding funding. You will get a glimpse into how Irene Pepperberg and her students taught Alex and how incredibly intelligent these birds are. 

Alex proves to be more than a bird, as he has the ability to communicate and understand complex thoughts and ideas. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in animal behavior, theory of mind, or even just for someone who enjoys seeing true stories that are told well.

As with most animal books, you may shed a tear or two as well. There is only one Alex the Parrot book available so far. As you read this, you will hope and wish that Irene continues to study parrots. Take a look at this nonfiction book about animals and expand your knowledge!

“Clearly, animals know more than we think, and think a great deal more than we know.”

Reading this Alex the Parrot book is imperative if you want to become a veterinarian for exotic animals.

Another Amazing Animal Fiction Book

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

This animal fiction book will have you thinking intensely about animal welfare and dysfunctional families. It starts out with Rosie a college student at UC Davis and shortly thereafter gets into the story of Fern. I won’t go into any detail here, anything more said will ruin the story. If you are an animal lover, want an easy, intense read that you won’t want to put down then this book for animal lovers will be right up your alley. 

If you want to go into clinical laboratory animal medicine, this book is a must-read.

This animal fiction book is a great read for those who are animal lovers and want an easy, intense read that you won’t want to put down. This novel allows us to feel an empathic connection with one of its non-human protagonists who also experience the same feelings as humans, which we can relate with on some level. With this book we can find out the answer to the question “What does it mean to be human?” One memorable quotable passage is when she describes “We all perform at our best when we think others are watching.”

One memorable quotable passage in this best animal fiction book is when she describes a “memory moving through like a weather system”.

“You know how everything seems so normal when you’re growing up,” she asked plaintively, “and then comes this moment when you realize your whole family is nuts?”