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mmatti300's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was so close to a five star in a lot of ways, except for the fact that I actually hated the central story. I found Lionel, Charles, and Sophie’s story to be way too similar to real life and with more of the subtle abuses (to the point where it was so subtle that others may not have seen their relationship as inherently abusive). However, Anne of Cleves, What Made them Made You, and Mass were all 5 stars for me, and if Lionel and Charles had been more like those this would have been a 5 star collection. I also was not expecting it to have a central story like it did. Instead of a short story collection, this is more of a novella with short stories that branch off of it attached. What Brandon Taylor does do really well, and shows in this book, is offering a glimpse into real life and the betrayal and filthy nature of real people. And I really appreciated how, because each story was like a snapshot of one persons life, it ended in a vague spot — open to countless questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Cancer
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, and Outing
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love this cover and the stories held inside. The writing is slow, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Well worth a read, as is Taylor's debut, REAL LIFE.
And to keep note: "Filthy Animals" -- the book's namesake -- is by far my favorite story in the collection!
And to keep note: "Filthy Animals" -- the book's namesake -- is by far my favorite story in the collection!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Eating disorder
pippyv's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Fun main story but the other short stories detracted heavily. The descriptions of the gay women in the one story they featured in, while not entirely inaccurate, were generic and lifeless compared with the standard set by male characters of any sexuality in the rest of the book and overall it was a bit insultingly lazy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Eating disorder
eminadiscobra's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
bowlofnicole's review against another edition
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Sexual assault
deedireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Filthy Animals is, as we expect from Brandon Taylor, a masterful collection of stories; I especially loved the linked ones. This book more than lives up to the hype.
For you if: You like queer short stories and excellent character-driven writing.
FULL REVIEW:
First, thank you to Riverhead for granting me a review copy of this collection on NetGalley! Filthy Animals is one of the most anticipated books of the year, and it absolutely lives up to the hype.
The collection opens with a story about a man named Lionel, who has hit a particularly difficult point in his life, and who meets two dancers in an open relationship at a friend’s potluck dinner. Every alternating story in the collection returns to these three characters, which, strung together, could have even become a novella. I really liked this format, the promise that we will come back and learn more about them, return to the near-tangible tension between them, see what happens next. But all the other stories in the collection are incredible, too, as one would expect from Brandon Taylor.
I feel, now, that I could recognize Taylor’s writing anywhere, just by the level of detail he includes on every page. His writing zooms in on practically everything, which draws meaning and poignancy out of the otherwise mundane. Reading his stories, I feel like I could be an ant inside them, viewing every surface, every facial expression, every moment from close up. And then he zooms out when it comes to dialogue, letting every word ring and echo in hollow space. The result is both quiet and loud.
This is one of those books where I think the back-cover blurb is especially on the nose: “Psychologically taut and quietly devastating,” and “a tender portrait of the fierce longing for intimacy, the lingering presence of pain, and the desire for love in a world that seems, more often than not, to withhold it.” I really can’t sum it up any better than that.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Filthy Animals is, as we expect from Brandon Taylor, a masterful collection of stories; I especially loved the linked ones. This book more than lives up to the hype.
For you if: You like queer short stories and excellent character-driven writing.
FULL REVIEW:
First, thank you to Riverhead for granting me a review copy of this collection on NetGalley! Filthy Animals is one of the most anticipated books of the year, and it absolutely lives up to the hype.
The collection opens with a story about a man named Lionel, who has hit a particularly difficult point in his life, and who meets two dancers in an open relationship at a friend’s potluck dinner. Every alternating story in the collection returns to these three characters, which, strung together, could have even become a novella. I really liked this format, the promise that we will come back and learn more about them, return to the near-tangible tension between them, see what happens next. But all the other stories in the collection are incredible, too, as one would expect from Brandon Taylor.
I feel, now, that I could recognize Taylor’s writing anywhere, just by the level of detail he includes on every page. His writing zooms in on practically everything, which draws meaning and poignancy out of the otherwise mundane. Reading his stories, I feel like I could be an ant inside them, viewing every surface, every facial expression, every moment from close up. And then he zooms out when it comes to dialogue, letting every word ring and echo in hollow space. The result is both quiet and loud.
This is one of those books where I think the back-cover blurb is especially on the nose: “Psychologically taut and quietly devastating,” and “a tender portrait of the fierce longing for intimacy, the lingering presence of pain, and the desire for love in a world that seems, more often than not, to withhold it.” I really can’t sum it up any better than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
Minor: Pedophilia, Terminal illness, and Racism
katyisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
FILTHY ANIMALS was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer and it did not disappoint.
Thank you to Riverhead for my advanced copy. This short story collection is out this Tuesday, 6/22!
TW: suicide attempt, abuse, death, illness
In FILTHY ANIMALS, every other story follows Lionel, who was recently released from the hospital after a suicide attempt, and Sophie and Charles, two dancers who are in an open relationship. The thread of their story—which explores intimacy, cruelty, frailty, longing, and the interconnection of all of those things—is both beautifully written and uncomfortably tense. The rest of the stories are one-off character studies, including my favorite from the collection, "Anne of Cleves." I think what draws me to Brandon Taylor's writing is his ability to describe the weight of the everyday; a look between a mother and child, a moment spent lounging in the sun with a lover, the tension between two teenagers on a hill getting high. The entire collection is beautiful and melancholic and I highly recommend it, with the caution that it's not for the faint of heart (there's a reason I kicked this off with trigger warnings).
A side note: one of the things that I loved about REAL LIFE and now FILTHY ANIMALS is how Brandon Taylor writes about Madison. As someone who lived there as a straight, white, middle-class undergrad, reading Brandon Taylor's books has given me the opportunity to experience the town through the lens of so many different eyes. I loved following Lionel, Sophie, and Charles around campus, through the buildings where I took dance and English classes, and then jumping into a story that takes place in the spaces beyond campus; suburban homes, out in the "country," "up north." The book felt like a snapshot of all the diverse lives that can be lived simultaneously in a single space.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse
suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Cancer, Animal death, Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
bookmaddie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
As I would expect from Taylor, these are beautifully written, angsty stories about romantic relationships, friendships and family. Taylor dives into the intricacies of everyday feeling so well and I absolutely love it.
The collection is formatted in a really unique manner, where there is a series of interconnected narratives spaced throughout at somewhat irregular intervals. I thought this little mini-series of stories was compelling—the trio whose relationships it follows was awkward yet considerate, harsh and forgiving. They all pushed and pulled against each other's comfort zones perfectly. The inclusion of dance in this series was also really lovely. Taylor describes movement beautifully, and it made the body more prevalent in each interaction between individuals.
My favorite stories are:
-Anne of Cleaves
-What Made Them Made You
The collection is formatted in a really unique manner, where there is a series of interconnected narratives spaced throughout at somewhat irregular intervals. I thought this little mini-series of stories was compelling—the trio whose relationships it follows was awkward yet considerate, harsh and forgiving. They all pushed and pulled against each other's comfort zones perfectly. The inclusion of dance in this series was also really lovely. Taylor describes movement beautifully, and it made the body more prevalent in each interaction between individuals.
My favorite stories are:
-Anne of Cleaves
-What Made Them Made You
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
rachel_from_avid_bookshop's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brandon Taylor's book of short stories, Filthy Animals, is a bright shining explosion of beautiful writing. Six of the eleven stories are linked and dipping back and forth into Lionel's relationship with two dancers, Sophie and Charles, is hypnotic. These stories about human relationships range from those between lovers, friends, and family. How is it that Taylor can write so that we can see the interior crevices of these character's souls? Brilliantly done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Pedophilia