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A review by beforeviolets
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
TW: blood, injury detail, child abuse/sexual assault (offscreen, alluded to), violence, gore (brief description), vomit, death of grandmother (past, mention), very brief mention of past police brutality, systemic violence, school shootings, mass death, and other such atrocities.
TW: blood, injury detail, child abuse/sexual assault (offscreen, alluded to), violence, gore (brief description), vomit, death of grandmother (past, mention), very brief mention of past police brutality, systemic violence, school shootings, mass death, and other such atrocities.
Pet is definitely one of the most unique books I've ever come across.
Set in a world in which "monsters" - aka people who cause harm - no longer exist and "angels" - people who have rebuilt a safer world - are idolized, Jam is suddenly faced with a truth: there's a monster in her midst. This book discusses the dangers of using previous solutions as a way to blind oneself from present problems and how hard it can be to stand up against something that you're told isn't really there.
Surprisingly biblical in nature, this story is one that I believe should be on everyone's must-read list. It's more than just a book. It's a call to action.
When you think you've been without monsters for so long, sometimes you forget what they look like, what they sound like, no matter how much remembering your education urges you to do. It's not the same when the monsters are gone. You're only remembering shadows of them, stories that seem to be limited to the pages or screens you read them from. Flat and dull things. So, yes, people forget. But forgetting is dangerous. Forgetting is how the monsters come back.
TW: blood, injury detail, child abuse/sexual assault (offscreen, alluded to), violence, gore (brief description), vomit, death of grandmother (past, mention), very brief mention of past police brutality, systemic violence, school shootings, mass death, and other such atrocities.
Pet is definitely one of the most unique books I've ever come across.
Set in a world in which "monsters" - aka people who cause harm - no longer exist and "angels" - people who have rebuilt a safer world - are idolized, Jam is suddenly faced with a truth: there's a monster in her midst. This book discusses the dangers of using previous solutions as a way to blind oneself from present problems and how hard it can be to stand up against something that you're told isn't really there.
Surprisingly biblical in nature, this story is one that I believe should be on everyone's must-read list. It's more than just a book. It's a call to action.
When you think you've been without monsters for so long, sometimes you forget what they look like, what they sound like, no matter how much remembering your education urges you to do. It's not the same when the monsters are gone. You're only remembering shadows of them, stories that seem to be limited to the pages or screens you read them from. Flat and dull things. So, yes, people forget. But forgetting is dangerous. Forgetting is how the monsters come back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Gore, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death