And secondly, I'd like to mention that... well, it probably shouldn't be categorized as young adult. Or action/adventure (though there is action?). So OOPS. But in my defense there's not much info on the cover. Or something. Shush.
We the Animals: A novel by Justin TorresMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
An exquisite, blistering debut novel
Three brothers tear their way through childhood— smashing tomatoes all over each other, building kites from trash, hiding out when their parents do battle, tiptoeing around the house as their mother sleeps off her graveyard shift. Paps and Ma are from Brooklyn—he’s Puerto Rican, she’s white—and their love is a serious, dangerous thing that makes and unmakes a family many times.
Life in this family is fierce and absorbing, full of chaos and heartbreak and the euphoria of belonging completely to one another. From the intense familial unity felt by a child to the profound alienation he endures as he begins to see the world, this beautiful novel reinvents the coming-of-age story in a way that is sly and punch-in-the-stomach powerful.
Written in magical language with unforgettable images, this is a stunning exploration of the viscerally charged landscape of growing up, how deeply we are formed by our earliest bonds, and how we are ultimately propelled at escape velocity toward our futures.
Definitely an interesting, different read...
The story follows three brothers through their difficult, oftentimes violent childhood. The main character is a little softer than his older siblings, a little less angry and animalistic, so he was a good lens through which to view the story. But the ending becomes all his -- how he grows up, how the violence impacts him, and what it's like to be separated from his tribe, as he puts it.
I appreciated the way Justin Torres dealt with themes like abuse, poverty and familial struggles without making any one character come off as "the bad guy." You understand that the members of this family love one another deeply, even as they threaten to destroy each other. I also thought it was interesting the way the narration starts off in the beginning as mostly first-person plural. "We" do this, "we" do that. And over the course of the story it evolves into an "I."
It was well-written and engaging, with small, perfect details that almost made it feel like a memoir at times, rather than a novel. So kudos to Torres for getting the little details spot-on.
View all my reviews
And finally, to all of you writers out there, in case you haven't heard about it yet:
WriteOnCon, in conjunction with the Reading Room, are giving away $1,000.
Yeah, you heard me right. You can win ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS and also your own author page on the Reading Room, just by submitting the first 500 words of your (completed) novel here. (it's in an advert on the right-hand side when you click) (and ignore the part that says "pitch," because that confused me too. it's definitely just the first 500 words.)
Now you all have a good reason to finish those WIPs.
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