Animals in Peril: Stories

A long-awaited debut collection of stories from an author who's mystified by what moves the human heart, Animals in Peril explores our relationships with animals, other people, and ourselves.

Representing the furry, the feathered, the four-legged and the winged, the cast of Animals in Peril includes a coronoray thrombotic shih tzu from Chicago, a junko that flies into a skyscraper, a decapitated skunk in Ohio, and a runaway roan, depicted in black-and-white watercolor images by the author. At times humorous, melancholic, and self-reflective, these Midwestern stories examine the love we extend to our pets, how we project human complexities upon animal behavior, and how little we actually know about the 1.5 million species of animals with whom we share this planet.

Ryan Kenealy currently lives in Chicago with his wife and cat. He began his career selling
novelty items at a flea market on a dirty street near Cleveland Hopkins Airport and has since
worked for the circus in Chicago and sold pot roast in Japan. These stories originally appeared in
Open City, Another Chicago Magazine, & Bridge, among others. This is his first book.