Annie Hartnett's debut novel, RABBIT CAKE, is out now with Tin House Books. Rabbit Cake has been selected as an Indies Introduce and an Indie Next Pick, and has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, and Library Journal.
Annie is a 2013 graduate of the MFA program at the University of Alabama, and was the 2013-2014 Writer-in-Residence for the Associates of the Boston Public Library. She currently teaches classes on the novel and the short story at Grub Street, an independent writing center in Boston.
She is at work on her second novel, DRIVER'S ED, which is a darkly-comic story about a sex crime in a small town. Annie is represented by Katie Grimm of Don Congdon Associates, Inc.
Annie lives in Providence, RI with her husband and their border collie.
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It's Hard to Be an Animal (2026) Robert Isaacs "Any book that starts with a cursing warbler is the right book for me! I loved our main (human) character Henry and all his anxieties, and I loved free-spirited Molly, his love interest....not to mention the supporting cast of talking animals. Wild, weird, and super fun. I loved it."
Good Joy, Bad Joy (2026) Mikki Brammer "This is a beautiful and moving story about friendship and second chances late in life. Uplifting, charming, and wonderful, it will make you call your oldest friend to say 'I love you, I'm so glad you're alive, and also, please read this book.'"
The Left and the Lucky (2026) Willy Vlautin "A heartbreaking, gritty, funny, and sensitive portrait of American life, complete with rich characters and a really great dog. I loved the main characters, Eddie and Russell, and read their story in one big gulp. Willy Vlautin is a terrific, emphatic writer."
Lucky Girl (2025) Allie Tagle-Dokus "What a completely fabulous debut! Allie Tagle-Dokus delivers us a witty coming-of-age story, with original characters and pitch-perfect dialogue. Lyrical and darkly funny, I adored it."
Marrow (2025) Samantha Browning Shea "An absorbing, atmospheric, rich, feminist and witchy novel - what more could we ask for? I became completely entangled in the saltmarsh of the island of Marrow and all the secrets, fierce hope, and desperation that the island holds. Samantha Shea has created magic here."
Darling Beasts (2025) Michelle Gable "Weird, witty, and totally delightful, with echoes of Schitt's Creek but with more teeth! I loved it."
In a Dark Mirror (2024) Kat Davis "Get your nightlight ready - In a Dark Mirror is the kind of book you stay up all night to read, and then you'll spend the rest of the week thinking about it. It's a mesmerizing, creepy, original and deeply compelling novel about adolescent girls and the darkness that lurks within, and I gobbled it whole. Kat Davis is a star."
Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife (2024) Eric Schlich "Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife is an exuberant, rich, lively, and thoroughly entertaining novel, and I adored it. Eric Schlich is a wonderful writer and you'll admire his prose, but you'll love the novel most for its big honkin' heart."
Cleaner (2023) Brandi Wells "Brandi Wells has created a biting, witty, pitch-perfect novel about one woman's desire to connect with her office co-workers - the only problem is, she cleans the office during the night and they work during the day. Cleaner is funny, slyly moving, and totally weirdly wonderful, and Brandi Wells is a gloriously bold writer. I adored it."
The Gospel of Orla (2023) Eoghan Walls "A melancholic, funny, and magical coming-of-age story, The Gospel of Orla is glorious, wise, and totally weird. I loved it."
Lungfish (2022) Meghan Gilliss "In Lungfish, Meghan Gilliss has written a remarkable book about motherhood, survival, marriage, lies, money, and drug use. Gilliss' prose is a brilliant light in the darkness the novel explores. This book will haunt me, in the very best way."
Sirens & Muses (2022) Antonia Angress "Sirens & Muses captivated me with its well-drawn, complex characters and vivid descriptions and settings. Antonia Angress is a keen observer of relationships, and this is a gorgeously rich and thoughtful novel."
The Night Shift (2022) Natalka Burian "The Night Shift is a fabulously strange and wondrous novel. Original, surreal, and thoroughly suspenseful, Natalka Burian takes you on a journey through New York and a world of magical shortcuts tucked within its streets, and creates a world both fantastic and unsettlingly familiar. It absorbed me completely."
Florida Woman (2022) Deb Rogers "Florida Woman is a truly wild ride -- a book that keeps you guessing with its crazy-compelling story. Vivid details, sly humor, mysterious cultish behavior, and, most importantly, lots of monkeys. It totally sucked me in and surprised me until the very last page."
Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (2020) Kathleen Rooney "Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey is a splendid novel; so smart, so beautifully written—a heroic tale of the cross-species relationship between pigeon and man during the Great War. Affecting and imaginative, this story vibrated deep in my heart because it all felt so very true."
The Roxy Letters (2020) Mary Pauline Lowry "Mary Pauline Lowry’s THE ROXY LETTERS is too smart and clever to be called a romp, but whatever, it’s a total romp. I fell in love with Roxy, our hilarious, flawed, screwball narrator, and her quest to find herself in the muck of her twenties. Fun as heck."
The Big Finish (2020) Brooke Fossey "Funny and tender, a wonderful novel about redemption, friendship, and showing up for the people you love. Heart-warming and a real hoot!"
What Should Be Wild (2018) Julia Fine "What Should Be Wild is a grim, beautiful book that you won’t be able to put down. It’s a thrilling fairytale that will give you the chills, will make you wonder what’s really hidden in the forest. Julia Fine writes with enormous imagination, and her first novel is a feast."
Pretend I'm Dead (2015) Jen Beagin "Pretend I'm Dead is funny, weird, disturbing, and just a touch magical. Mona, our main character, is such fabulous company, even when she wants everyone in her life to leave her alone. Jen Beagin's novel will stare you down, mesmerize you, and dare you to laugh."
