Pet

First of all, I really like this author and really respect what they’re trying to do with this book. I love the message of looking out for those around us and more importantly the fact that in some way, these book let’s young people know about the monsters that don’t necessarily look like monsters out there. The message: “We are each other’s harvest, we are each other’s business” is beautiful and runs throughout the novel and it’s great and a fantastic one for all of us, young or old.Another thing I thought this book did well is diversity in terms of gender. The main character, Jam is trans female, her best friend has 3 parents, one of whom identifies as they/them (like the author), and so it’s a reflection of modern society and modern realities that might make kids feel like other in school because they’re so underrepresented in young people’s fiction.My issues are I suppose the target audience of this novel is a little ambiguous to me. This is at once simplistically written for a middle grade, younger end of the YA spectrum reader (according to the publishing imprint, Make Me A New World’s mandate) but also rather mature and adult in its nuances. I feel like it presents a lot of ideas about “truth” and “searching/hunting” and “rehabbing offenders,” and “punishment” that even I as an adult reader had to stop to consider and think through my own views from it. I don’t think this is a book that I would get for a 12-17 year old and just leave in their hands. I think to be responsible, an adult needs to facilitate some discussion around this. There were a lot of references to contemporary “monsters” that I also think were mentioned with a casualness that makes the assumption that young kids are aware of the nuances the author was trying to create. For example, with the monster of police brutality- “taking out the prisons and the police” is referenced without clarifying the reasons why that was necessary so that without the nuance (or racial discrimination and oppression), it reads like the police and prisons are intrinsically problematic.Coming to the themes of child abuse, I feel like certain parts were written with great sensitivity and ambiguity but then it was also maybe a little too nuanced what a child was supposed to do in that situation. The realistic scenario of reporting to an adult was shown to fail as it often does (something that makes many children afraid to report in the first place) and then instead of a real, actionable solution, a Deus Ex Machina moment was inserted which I don’t think is particularly useful in this kind of book marketed to young people. My takeaway was that you’re sh1t out of luck unless you have a Pet. And that brings me to the language... There was quite a bit of swearing in this and it’s not that I don’t think 12 year olds know swear words, it’s just jarring combined with the simplicity of the rest of the language and narrative.Speaking of the narrative, for something that is a young people’s fantasy novel, this often didn’t feel like fiction to me. Maybe because I’m familiar with the author and their views but I feel like there was a lot of that here, which makes sense- it is their book. But this felt like a very political book. For example, young Redemption says: ““So the obvious monsters would’ve been like the police and the billionaires,” but this isn’t caveat-ed in any way. The author’s views on capital punishment, gun control, rehabbing abusers and sex offenders, allowing minors gender surgery, censorship of information etc all are pretty much almost editorialized, but because they’re said through the voice of a child protagonist role model-type in Jam, it is almost modeling what children should think if they want to be the Jam ideal. I DEFINITELY think parental guidance is required for this book and that’s good, because it’s an awesome starting point to have some great conversations. And for the adult reader, a launchpad to think more deeply about contemporary issues.I think I liked what this book was trying to achieve and what kinds of discussions it could potentially generate more than I like the actual book. I think it was a little uneven and tried to do too much. There were too many kitchen sink ideas thrown in randomly and I think it could have been streamlined. Also, I wish there had been a little more character development with Jam and Redemption and evening Pet. Yes, the character development was “just right” for a MG book, but with the themes, I think it could have rung a little truer if the characters had been a bit more anchored and there had been more of them and a little less editorial in the book. I’m glad I read this and I have a lot of respect for this author and look forward to their coming work.

I learnt I lot of life skill from this book. It really changes my life for the better

An interesting take on afro-futurism that leans more towards idealistic fantasy modernism. Set after a revolution that supposedly eliminated discrimination, a young trans girl meets a beast from her mother’s painting that tells her there is a monster roaming her town - specifically one that’s targeting her best friend’s family. Plenty of representation for queer and non-white people with a good storyline about the fallacies of complacently in the face of winning to the point that you forget what you were fighting for/against. Tends more towards flowery words and imagery rather than straightforwardness at times like the author was hesitant or unwilling to outright say a pedophile was grooming a child but one of the few books that feature polyamory, nonbinary characters, and ebonics. An interesting read overall! Plus, there is a sequel already the follows the main character’s mother pre-revolution

I love how Akwaeke weaves the magical into her stories and Pet is a really compelling creature. I loved reading the story. The ending seemed rushed

This book emotionally destroyed me in ways I wasn't ready for. I put the book down feeling haunted and it absolutely left me thinking. It's a fantastic read, just be forewarned about heavier topics.

My 14 year old son and I read this book together and we both thought it was amazing. Should be on everyone’s required reading list. Very creative.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘗𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.⁣⁣𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘑𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.⁣⁣𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.⁣⁣𝘗𝘦𝘵 is the story of Jam, a Black trans girl with selective mutism. Jam lives in the city of Lucille a future(?) city that doesn't have monsters anymore. The monsters are the bigots, pedophiles, abusers, billionaires, and police. The angels (revolutionaries) overthrew the old regime and put in place a society that takes care of people and takes them as they are. ⁣⁣I'm not going to try an explain the character of Pet. Basically, Pet is an unexplained extra dimensional being that is summoned to hunt monsters. When Pet is assured that all the monsters are gone but we quickly learn that isn't the case, people just stopped looking for them. As Per says people can't see what they aren't looking for.⁣⁣This book is jaw droppingly good. It's beautiful, uncomfortable, haunting, hopeful, and profound. I LOVE the world that Emezi created here and will be reading more of their work. I know that I have not done this book justice in my attempt to summarize. But just know, 𝘗𝘦𝘵 has my highest recommendation.

Wow, what a concept and what a book! I was floored by Emezi's super simple and yet totally original concept for this book - a town where all the monsters, the bad people who hurt other people, are gone. Those people permeated people's homes and offices, they were the majors, judges, police officers, teachers, but they did bad things so they had to be rehabilitated and reformed. It seems so simple, why don't we just eliminate all things bad? Jam was born in a world without monsters but when her mother paints a being into existence that is here to hunt a monster, she must come to terms with the fact that monsters still exist and may be hiding in plain sight.This book is written pretty simply which may give the impression that it is for younger readers but covers topics (trigger warning: child abuse) that are important for all ages, even (especially) adults. I think this should be required reading for all. Emezi's super straightforward way of turning our world on it's head to create a better one will make you wonder - why do we accept things as they are? Why don't we just make it better?

Read this as an English teacher trying to add some diversity to our curriculum and was so pleased to find this! Written in very accessible language but with some wonderful literary devices to tell what is actually a very engaging story. It's a nice length for teaching and has everything you might possibly need to discuss with students: race, transitioning gender, child abuse, poly-amorous relationships, bullying, disability, sign language.... All simply embedded into the story without stigma or overt discussion.

Initially it seems like a novel of dualities - monsters and angels, appearance and reality, knowing and not knowing - but PET adopts a far more nuanced view of the world. Emezi is very deliberate with their language use and, for me, the most important conflict in the novel is the difference between the “unseen” and the “invisible” - they force the reader to accept responsibility for what we see and what we choose to ignore.I love the illustrations of blackness in this novel: Jam twisting her hair with shea butter and going to bed in her bonnet; Ube, the tall dark-skinned librarian; the soca and grime that plays in her house; the crafting of her parents’ language (“allyuh” and “dodo” and “doux-doux” and “chile” and “iwela iwe”). Sublime.I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to ruin it, but PET is exceptional. I don’t think I have ever read a protagonist like Jam; the proof and final covers look amazing with a dark-skinned black trans girl front & centre; the naming in this novel is gorgeous; the world-building is outstanding and Pet is such a rich creation: my new favourite character. This book is a powerful magic.

"The angels took the laws and changed them, tore down those horrible statues of rich men who'd owned people and fought to keep owning people. The angels believed and the people agreed that there was a good amount of proper and deserved shame in history and some things were just never going to be things to be proud of."If this isn't one of the most relevant quotes for this current time period, I'm not sure what is.I'm struggling to put into words how I feel about this book. The writing is phenomenal and the story is one that will get under your skin and will sit with you long after you've finished the book. A masterpiece of a book. Pet is an #OwnVoices book.

Pet tells the story of Jam, a young trans girl who lives in the utopian city of Lucille. A place where all the monsters have been defeated and banish from society. Until an inhuman creature crawls out of a painting that Jam’s mother created. The creature calls itself Pet and when it tells Jam that it is there to hunt a monster that resides in the house of her closest friend, she must help Pet uncover the truth.Pet is the third book I have read by Akwaeke Emezi, and as with Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji, I absolutely adored this book.I love Emezi’s writing. It manages to be poetic without being too verbose or losing the story. Its emotional, impactful and fairly dark. Pet has a vivid use of imagery and metaphor, stunning dialogue and beautiful moments of introspection yet it is not too embellished to still be accessible to a younger audience.Emezi has created convincing and diverse characters, from the main character Jam, who is a black, non-verbal trans girl that communicates mostly through sign language to her best friend Redemption and his three parents (who are in a polyamorous relationship-and one of his parents uses they/them pronouns). Jam and Redemption grow throughout the novel as they deal with the impact of Pet and the mystery of the monster which does cause some conflict between them. I was really affected by their pain of not wanting to accept the possibility of the monster and the thought that it was harming others. The creature of Pet itself was a fascinating component of the novel and they had the most beautifully crafted dialogue. Some characters did not make as much of an impact; like Jam’s parents and some of Redemption’s extended family, but in a 200 page book that is forgivable and it did not detract from my enjoyment in the slightest.The setting of the book toes the line between the utopian and the dystopian. The worldbuilding is minimal as we only know what is important for the plot. I did not mind this as it added an almost mythical, captivating element to the novel.I loved the central message of the story: that monsters tend to hide in plain sight, and that we must be prepared to seek them out and look for the red flags. That in believing there are no monsters, we are blind to what is right in front of us. I thought this was explored well for an audience of young adults or teens.Pet is an emotional, engaging story that deals with very dark themes in a way that is accessible to both adults and young people. As with anything written by Akwaeke Emezi, I highly recommend this book.

I thought this was a great book. The storyline was so much fun and the world building was done so simply that it just fit. It was inclusive in a very chilled way that simply acknowledged intersections people exist in without feeling like the author was trying to prove anything. Pet was just a really inspiring and interesting story with characters who were (sometimes surprisingly) relatable. It was especially nice to see a black transgirl as a main character who was really relatable as a character with her personality and all of her fears and missteps. It had a really good storyline of magic and monsters. Also I loved all the character names being things like food. It’s weird to see a world like that in books and I would love to see more of it.It was also really short which made it easy to read and quick to finish. Although I’d love some kind of sequel that shows more of the world they live in and lessons learned within it