A review by starrysteph
Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A bleak & distressing journey into the near-future that felt a bit like a Black Mirror episode (though not quite as tech-y).

We follow Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon, a work-obsessed researcher who is intent on bridging the gap between humans and animals. Her newest project uses advanced neuroscience to translate the live perception of a wolf through her own eyes (she’s always been fascinated by wolves & is hoping to protect one of the last remaining wild packs). But between her greedy VC funders and her strained relationship with her wife, her world is teetering on the edge of ruin.

It’s a sad tale from start to finish. Mandelo’s characters waver ethically, hurt each other, and challenge their humanity & their empathy for the world around them. 

Sean is not particularly likable - she’s not a good partner and doesn’t feel motivated to change that, she’s so blinded by her curiosity that she doesn’t critically consider who is funding her project, her desire to be close with wolves overrides any consideration of animal ethics, and so on. But her fascination and attachment to the wolves was incredibly compelling. And the foil of the one-sided relationship between Sean and her wolf and Sean and her wife was very well-done!

Feed Them Silence both challenges academia and eerily captures human greed for knowledge without care of who it may hurt or destroy. It’s a look at intimacy and selfishness and greed and obsession. 

I think the limits could have been pushed further; I was ready to be repulsed by more weirdness. I also had very mixed feelings about the ending. But I was definitely immersed in this uneasy little story.

CW: animal cruelty & animal death, animal medical experimentation, medical content, grief, blood, gore, vomit, injury, violence, infidelity, racism, sexism

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(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
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