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A review by gem114
PET by Akwaeke Emezi
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
This is the best book I've read so far in 2021.
Pet is a rather friendly name for a 7 foot fall, horned and clawed monster hunter, but this creature is not as scary as the real monster who lurks unseen in the town of Lucille.
When Pet arrives in Lucille with the help of 15-year-old Jam, the two go on the hunt together along with Jam's best friend, Redemption.
The novel is about the quest for a monster, but the lesson below the surface is that our refusal to see the unseen, our preference to live in blissful ignorance, makes us complicit with the monsters themselves. Like Jam, Redemption, and the people of Lucille, we need to be willing to shed our comfort and our denial in order to better our society.
I really can't say enough about this powerful novel. Now I just have to find a way to sneak it into my curriculum!
Pet is a rather friendly name for a 7 foot fall, horned and clawed monster hunter, but this creature is not as scary as the real monster who lurks unseen in the town of Lucille.
When Pet arrives in Lucille with the help of 15-year-old Jam, the two go on the hunt together along with Jam's best friend, Redemption.
The novel is about the quest for a monster, but the lesson below the surface is that our refusal to see the unseen, our preference to live in blissful ignorance, makes us complicit with the monsters themselves. Like Jam, Redemption, and the people of Lucille, we need to be willing to shed our comfort and our denial in order to better our society.
I really can't say enough about this powerful novel. Now I just have to find a way to sneak it into my curriculum!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Vomit