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A review by hannahblikestoread
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
For fans of: unlikeable FMCs, uncomfortable truths, women vs. the void, female rage, Otessa Moshfegh, Melissa Broder
CHECK CW for this one friends. ⚠️
My thoughts: This story was a gut punch. It was a very emotionally challenging read that I’m definitely going to need a palette cleansing (and maybe a brain bleaching) after but man, was it well done. The audio is great (hail queen Emma Roberts) but some of the things described in the story are very hard to listen to. I may have bawled in the car in my gym parking lot… CHECK TW friends. This gets HEAVY. This litfic borders on horror in parts. Some of the quotes in this were absolutely brilliant. I took off a star because I felt it was about 100 pages too long and took too long to get to the *meat* of the story but after it picked up, I could NOT put it down. This story addresses so many themes, namely how we are shaped by trauma and how prey can transform into predator in order to survive. The author also highlights animal instincts and how those live inside us. Overall, very insightful, evocative, and well written.
CW: miscarriage, rape, suicide, murder, violence, animal harm, every possible trigger
CHECK CW for this one friends. ⚠️
My thoughts: This story was a gut punch. It was a very emotionally challenging read that I’m definitely going to need a palette cleansing (and maybe a brain bleaching) after but man, was it well done. The audio is great (hail queen Emma Roberts) but some of the things described in the story are very hard to listen to. I may have bawled in the car in my gym parking lot… CHECK TW friends. This gets HEAVY. This litfic borders on horror in parts. Some of the quotes in this were absolutely brilliant. I took off a star because I felt it was about 100 pages too long and took too long to get to the *meat* of the story but after it picked up, I could NOT put it down. This story addresses so many themes, namely how we are shaped by trauma and how prey can transform into predator in order to survive. The author also highlights animal instincts and how those live inside us. Overall, very insightful, evocative, and well written.
CW: miscarriage, rape, suicide, murder, violence, animal harm, every possible trigger
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Vomit