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A review by queer_bookwyrm
PET by Akwaeke Emezi
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: Police violence mention, death of children mention, school shooting mention, violence, child abuse/implied child sexual abuse
"Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point. That's the whole problem."
Pet by Awaeke Emezi is their first YA book. I've been following Emezi on Instagram for awhile, and I admire them so much. They fiercely live their truth despite the trauma they have livid through and continue to experience at the hands of transphobia. I felt like this was a love letter to that pain.
We follow Jam, a selectively mute trans girl who uses sign language. She accidentally brings her mother's painting to life, and is dragged into a hunt for monsters by the being known as Pet. In Lucille where Jam lives, people believe the monsters, people who commit atrocities like police violence and abuse, are all gone and no one has anything to fear. The revolutionaries that made this possible are called "angels." But the presence of Pet means that monsters still exist.
Emezi's writing is so... efficient? They packed a whole nuances story into 200 pages without it feeling rushed or that it was missing anything. Their language choice was superb at conveying everything they wanted to say with only a few lines. It felt heavy, but not dense. It took a little bit to get used to some of the speech patterns, since Emezi is from Nigeria, but once I figured it out, there were no issues.
Emezi reminds us that all monsters are human, and the worst part is that they are usually people we trust. They remind us that the "not in my backyard" mentality continues to allow children to be harmed. Believe children. Believe survivors. Emezi does a great job of addressing child abuse and child sexual abuse without putting the details on the page. They understand that childhood trauma is not entertainment and shouldn't be treated like it is. More authors need to understand this. I don't need to read the details to understand how horrific it is (I'm looking at you Khaled Hosseni 👀).
To learn more about child sexual abuse or to get help for yourself or a loved one, go to RAINN.org
"Monsters don't look like anything, doux-doux. That's the whole point. That's the whole problem."
Pet by Awaeke Emezi is their first YA book. I've been following Emezi on Instagram for awhile, and I admire them so much. They fiercely live their truth despite the trauma they have livid through and continue to experience at the hands of transphobia. I felt like this was a love letter to that pain.
We follow Jam, a selectively mute trans girl who uses sign language. She accidentally brings her mother's painting to life, and is dragged into a hunt for monsters by the being known as Pet. In Lucille where Jam lives, people believe the monsters, people who commit atrocities like police violence and abuse, are all gone and no one has anything to fear. The revolutionaries that made this possible are called "angels." But the presence of Pet means that monsters still exist.
Emezi's writing is so... efficient? They packed a whole nuances story into 200 pages without it feeling rushed or that it was missing anything. Their language choice was superb at conveying everything they wanted to say with only a few lines. It felt heavy, but not dense. It took a little bit to get used to some of the speech patterns, since Emezi is from Nigeria, but once I figured it out, there were no issues.
Emezi reminds us that all monsters are human, and the worst part is that they are usually people we trust. They remind us that the "not in my backyard" mentality continues to allow children to be harmed. Believe children. Believe survivors. Emezi does a great job of addressing child abuse and child sexual abuse without putting the details on the page. They understand that childhood trauma is not entertainment and shouldn't be treated like it is. More authors need to understand this. I don't need to read the details to understand how horrific it is (I'm looking at you Khaled Hosseni 👀).
To learn more about child sexual abuse or to get help for yourself or a loved one, go to RAINN.org
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Child abuse
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, and Police brutality