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A review by hellcatjennie
Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is for weird girls, and weird girls only!
I am absolutely mind boggled that this is a debut novel, like what? Jagger does something I so rarely see done, she’s managed to reinvent the vampire genre into something beyond lust and the desire for immortality, instead it’s used as a device to assess her life and reflect on what’s causing her pain so that she may live her own life. Not to mention Noelle is most definitely autistic and being ADHD myself those two often get lumped together because the symptoms are so similar. It was refreshing to read from the point of view of a character that was unlike anything I’d ever read in fiction, originally unique without giving too much focus on unnecessary details, this is very focused on the human psyche and evaluating caustic detail. I admired how easily she weaves our main characters trauma into the story effortlessly, no less part of the story than the random turn of events at hand. Her prose is unmatched I could only ever dream of describing feeling as she does. Religious trauma is very prevalent throughout the novel, providing context for our main character’s actions and internal struggle to no longer be leashed by something she no longer necessarily believes in. I think we all suffer at the hands of our parents in one form or another, however we all have a parent in mind that made our journey from adolescence into adulthood a little less than spectacular. I personally have a lot of issues with my mother and this spoke to that heavily, in Fragile Animals we see Noelle’s mother as vain and impassive to her child’s need, very consumed by her own conception of self that she neglects any identity her child might have. It’s all too real and paints an already vivid picture of the long term affects a child might bear in life, suffering the consequences of a selfish parent. I can’t give this enough praise, you’ll have to read it for yourself and highlight all of its passages. The ending paragraph left chills down my spine, and reminded me that it’s so powerful to unburden yourself from your own guilt of simply living your life.
Thank you NetGalley, Genevieve Jagger, and 404 Ink for this ARC in exchange for a review!
I am absolutely mind boggled that this is a debut novel, like what? Jagger does something I so rarely see done, she’s managed to reinvent the vampire genre into something beyond lust and the desire for immortality, instead it’s used as a device to assess her life and reflect on what’s causing her pain so that she may live her own life. Not to mention Noelle is most definitely autistic and being ADHD myself those two often get lumped together because the symptoms are so similar. It was refreshing to read from the point of view of a character that was unlike anything I’d ever read in fiction, originally unique without giving too much focus on unnecessary details, this is very focused on the human psyche and evaluating caustic detail. I admired how easily she weaves our main characters trauma into the story effortlessly, no less part of the story than the random turn of events at hand. Her prose is unmatched I could only ever dream of describing feeling as she does. Religious trauma is very prevalent throughout the novel, providing context for our main character’s actions and internal struggle to no longer be leashed by something she no longer necessarily believes in. I think we all suffer at the hands of our parents in one form or another, however we all have a parent in mind that made our journey from adolescence into adulthood a little less than spectacular. I personally have a lot of issues with my mother and this spoke to that heavily, in Fragile Animals we see Noelle’s mother as vain and impassive to her child’s need, very consumed by her own conception of self that she neglects any identity her child might have. It’s all too real and paints an already vivid picture of the long term affects a child might bear in life, suffering the consequences of a selfish parent. I can’t give this enough praise, you’ll have to read it for yourself and highlight all of its passages. The ending paragraph left chills down my spine, and reminded me that it’s so powerful to unburden yourself from your own guilt of simply living your life.
Thank you NetGalley, Genevieve Jagger, and 404 Ink for this ARC in exchange for a review!