Unconditional: Stories of Women and the Animals They Love

Through intimate, neatly composed illustrated profiles of women and their companion animals, Willett (Women of Tarot) meditates on the mysteries of interspecies bonds. Her subjects include a psychic and her guinea pig, rock singers and horses, a witch who runs a bat rescue, an archaeologist caring for an Istanbul street kitten, and a woman whose formerly feral cat becomes a “petfluencer.” The women talk about how they connected to their pets (or, in a few cases, farm or wild animals), and how having a nonhuman in the family has changed their lives. Willett touches also on the history of domesticated animals and the role of women in the animal rights and environmental movements. Her background as a commercial illustrator shows in stylish layouts with textured backdrops; she contrasts appealingly posed portraits of her subjects with close-ups of such imagery as a horse’s long-lashed eye or a hand shaking a paw. Even skeptical readers will be won over by such candid revelations as when a blind artist, easing her guide dog into retirement, shares that “even without seeing London, I know exactly how beautiful she is.” Animal lovers will find plenty to relate to, whether they’re cohabitating with a rabbit, a rooster, or a rottweiler. Agent: Joan Brookbank, Joan Brookbank Projects. (Mar.)