The Eyes and the Impossible

Illustrated by Shawn Harris

“It is a tendency of the human species to see themselves in everything, to assume all living things, animals in particular, are simply corollaries to humans, but in this book, that is not the case. Here, the dogs are dogs, the birds are birds, goats are goats, the Bison Bison.”

There is no one faster than Johannes, a leashless dog who sleeps in a thousand-year-old tree. Johannes spends his days working as the Eyes, whose job is to run around the park and report to the Bison regarding anything that may upset the Equilibrium. Johannes’ life has been relatively calm in the past, but now the humans are putting up a new building in the plaza. Johannes is trapped and subsequently rescued after getting distracted by paintings in the plaza. Following his brush with captivity, Johannes concocts a plan to free the Bison and enlists the aid of all his fellow animals.

The Eyes & the Impossible is a great way for readers of all ages to think about non-human personhood. It is a rare piece of animal fiction that is genuinely about animals. Eggers prefaces the book with the statement above that the animals in the book are not representative of humans. They are what they are. The problems Johannes and his friends face are uniquely animal problems, whether that be maintaining the Equilibrium of the park, avoiding the Control-the-Animals people, or managing conflicting cultures among themselves. Educators can use this focus on the lives of animals to help students think of non-human entities as self-contained beings with their own agency.

Teachers may also use The Eyes & the Impossible to show readers how non-humans are responsive to the changes humans make. Johannes and the Bisons’ roles are to maintain the equilibrium of the park, and all the animals in the park help them (except the ducks). Many of the problems the animals face are due to the humans’ thoughtlessness and general disregard for non-humans. The absurdity of anthropocentric views is clear from Johannes’ perspective, and comes through in his humor and pity for humans. This ecocentric perspective can help readers think about how animals respond to changes in their environment and human activities in the real world.

Lastly, The Eyes & the Impossible reveals the ways in which there is often a larger world that is not apparent from an anthropocentric perspective. The book is full of beautiful illustrations by Shawn Harris, but each illustration is taken from a pre-existing painting in which Harris has added Johannes. Using this art, educators can discuss how adding non-humans back into the spaces where they always were can reveal more about the world around us.

©2025 ClimateLit (Sean Haase Oliva)

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Publisher: McSweeney's, 2023

Pages: 251

Lexile Score: 790L

ISBN: 978-1-95211-945-3

Audience: Ages 14+, Ages 4-7, Ages 8-13

Format: Novels

Topics: Animal Rights, Animals, Anthropocentrism, Ecocentrism, Non-Human Personhood, Urban Environments