Why we’re excited
After her father started believing in lizard people, Lainey Miller's mother raised her to trust evidence. That push leads to a life in science and a love of wild animals, and the novella follows her search for calm in a noisy world.
Karen Joy Fowler wrote We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award and reached the Booker shortlist, and The Jane Austen Book Club. A short, hopeful book about nature from her is a welcome change of pace. Readers who want something gentle that still takes the state of the world seriously should take note.
On our most-anticipated list since 22 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about Otter Music
We haven’t reviewed Karen Joy Fowler before, so this would be our first look at their work.
From the publisher
FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES
You can't save the world, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try
When Lainey Miller's dad began believing in lizard people who sought world domination, her mom decided that Lainey needed to be a person who believed in verifiable data. So began a lifelong pursuit and love of science, of the beauty of the natural world and its wildlife.
Through her work, Lainey finds stillness in a world humming with change, a world that she believes - despite the constant news cycle of destruction and cruelty - has an infinite capacity for kindness. A love letter to community, to learning, and to life itself, Karen Joy Fowler's new novella points towards the glimmer of hope on the horizon, urging us to stay for the view.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read Otter Music yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
