Fiction

Animal (Export)

Animal (Export)

  • Downloads：1136
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-18 09:54:04
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lisa Taddeo
  • ISBN：1982183721
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Summary

Two-time Pushcart Prize winner， Saul Bellow Fellow in fiction at Boston University， and frequent contributor to Esquire and New York magazine Lisa Taddeo's debut novel ANIMAL， a literary thriller about a woman driven to kill when the violence of her childhood reemerges as a weapon against the powerlessness of her present， for publication in 2020。

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Reviews

Marc Faoite ，

Porn but not porn， but porn。 If you like your lit with lots of sex then this is the book for you。 I don't， so despite the lovely writing I'm abandoning this one just a bit more than half way through。 Porn but not porn， but porn。 If you like your lit with lots of sex then this is the book for you。 I don't， so despite the lovely writing I'm abandoning this one just a bit more than half way through。 。。。more

Kendeleia Payne ，

I honestly wasn't going to read this， after skimming the inside cover。 However， once I started， I couldn't put it down。 Triggering yet endearing。 I honestly wasn't going to read this， after skimming the inside cover。 However， once I started， I couldn't put it down。 Triggering yet endearing。 。。。more

Val ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am still unsure about the rating given to this novel as I still try to make sense about how I felt after reading Taddeo's Animal。 This novel is a dark， and emotional look at one woman's journey in unpacking and understanding female rage， trauma， sexuality， and abuse。 It is by no means meant for light reading， even veering into quite an uncomfortable read， with gory allegories of violence and sexual abuse。 Yet， through all the moments of discomfort， is Taddeo's uncanny ability to write on the v I am still unsure about the rating given to this novel as I still try to make sense about how I felt after reading Taddeo's Animal。 This novel is a dark， and emotional look at one woman's journey in unpacking and understanding female rage， trauma， sexuality， and abuse。 It is by no means meant for light reading， even veering into quite an uncomfortable read， with gory allegories of violence and sexual abuse。 Yet， through all the moments of discomfort， is Taddeo's uncanny ability to write on the vastly different experiences of women （especially those that are often labelled as unlikable female characters）。 Animal is about June - a woman in her late 30s who has just witnessed one of her lovers （her married boss） commit suicide， and decides to make the journey across the country from New York to California to meet her half-sister。 The novel is comprised of June's narration， as we find her character interacting with the audience （or so we think。。。）， describing her life leading up to this point - her losses， her motivations， her lifestyle， and her lessons。 It is in the description of her lessons that we begin to understand June's reasoning for her trip out west， her yearning for connection with this sister she has never known， and even begin to understand who is truly at the receiving end of June's narration。 Throughout the novel we encounter various characters that add to the unraveling of the layers of this woman's life， and a commentary of the weight of rage that many women carry。 It ends in a rather crazy and quick paced conclusion， in comparison to the slow devouring of the rest of the novel， which felt a little incomplete and uneven to me。 As mentioned， this was a quite uncomfortable read， however， there were many parts where I felt myself empathizing with June's lessons and desires。 I particularly enjoyed reading how June begins to come to terms with her intergenerational trauma。。。and what many us inherit from our parents that comes to define our perception of love and relationships。 This novel won't be for everyone， but I still found myself thinking about it and wanting to find out the end of June's journey。 Plus， Taddeo knocks it out of the park with sharp， cut throat， memorable phrases that I found myself rereading again and again。 。。。more

Carol Picasso ，

Lisa's writing is mindblowing and I was really impressed， intrigued and disturbed by this story， all at once。 definitely take a look at the trigger warnings before diving into this radical journey。 Lisa's writing is mindblowing and I was really impressed， intrigued and disturbed by this story， all at once。 definitely take a look at the trigger warnings before diving into this radical journey。 。。。more

Hannah ，

Dark， but holy crap did I love this book。 The writing was so biting and beautiful that I had to pause after some lines to digest them。 If you can stomach dark topics and find beauty in a life that you can understand do not agree with then read it。

Norrie ，

I quite liked it， and found the writing style appealing。 The plot is pretty grim and dark。 But WTF happened in the last 10%？ I'm so confused。。。 Weird story。 I quite liked it， and found the writing style appealing。 The plot is pretty grim and dark。 But WTF happened in the last 10%？ I'm so confused。。。 Weird story。 。。。more

Bridget ，

Really well-written but deeply fucked up and disturbing。 Lots of casual references to rape and sexual violence。 One of those books that can really get under your skin （in a good way） and make you uncomfortable。

Lauren ，

Some of the best writing I've ever read。 Some of the darkest writing I've ever read。 I can't explain this book or why I loved it so much。 But I loved it Some of the best writing I've ever read。 Some of the darkest writing I've ever read。 I can't explain this book or why I loved it so much。 But I loved it 。。。more

Mahtab ，

Very repetitive yet intriguing

Stephanie ，

WEIRD book with a STUPID ENDING。 Don’t waste your time！

Erin ，

Rage。 Power。 Violation。 Control。 This book isn't for everyone， but this story and its main character Joan will stick with me for a long time。 Rage。 Power。 Violation。 Control。 This book isn't for everyone， but this story and its main character Joan will stick with me for a long time。 。。。more

Jestina Ricci ，

cw: graphic sexual assault， murder， graphic sex scenes， death of parentsI finished this book a few hours ago and can’t stop thinking about it。 It’s about love， rage， infidelity， revenge， and murder。 I’m just blown away。It begins with a 36 year old woman named Joan leaving New York City to move to Topanga Canyon after the sudden suicide of her married lover。 She’s on the hunt to find a yoga instructor named Alice。 When you begin， you don’t know how Joan knows Alice or why she’s desperate to conne cw: graphic sexual assault， murder， graphic sex scenes， death of parentsI finished this book a few hours ago and can’t stop thinking about it。 It’s about love， rage， infidelity， revenge， and murder。 I’m just blown away。It begins with a 36 year old woman named Joan leaving New York City to move to Topanga Canyon after the sudden suicide of her married lover。 She’s on the hunt to find a yoga instructor named Alice。 When you begin， you don’t know how Joan knows Alice or why she’s desperate to connect with her。 Joan is telling this story to someone but you don’t find out who it is until the end。 What makes this so incredible to me is how complicated Joan is。 You can empathize with her because of the horrible experiences she recounts， but she’s also just seriously messed up。 She struggles with the guilt of causing her married lover’s suicide。 She grieves over a married man that she loved more than him。 It’s just a mess but I highlighted a lot of passages。 I think everything came full circle and honestly， it pairs perfectly with Two Women。 I wasn’t expecting much of Lisa Taddeo’s first fictional work but they really go hand in hand in terms of the theme。 。。。more

Kat Saunders ，

This was a really strange book--and it won't be for everyone--but I couldn't put it down。 So much shimmering， feminine rage。 This was a really strange book--and it won't be for everyone--but I couldn't put it down。 So much shimmering， feminine rage。 。。。more

N ，

Well， that was different。 A challenging but worthwhile read。

Clare D ，

In the end I liked this

C。M。 Arnold ，

She has an MFA？ You don’t say？I NEVER would have guessed。  No shade to MFA degree holders， I’m just being a sarcastic bitch。 I don’t always dislike MFA authored novels。 I don’t always instantly know I’m reading an MFA authored novel。 But when I do…the book is usually written like the author has never once in their life heard how a real person speaks。  This book checks all the boxes of what I consider to be stereotypical， formulaic， highbrow， mainstream MFA culled literary fiction of the last dec She has an MFA？ You don’t say？I NEVER would have guessed。  No shade to MFA degree holders， I’m just being a sarcastic bitch。 I don’t always dislike MFA authored novels。 I don’t always instantly know I’m reading an MFA authored novel。 But when I do…the book is usually written like the author has never once in their life heard how a real person speaks。  This book checks all the boxes of what I consider to be stereotypical， formulaic， highbrow， mainstream MFA culled literary fiction of the last decade。 1。  No plot。 None。 Zilch。 2。  A story you’d need bifocals to locate， a sharpened knife to chisel out of the gorgeous sentences， and the Marauder’s map to follow。 3。  Weirdly written sex4。  Undercooked characters seasoned with eccentricities and little else。 5。  Beautiful， breathtaking， lyrical use of language。 （Pointer and middle to temple， thumb up， middle pulling inward， rapid hand lift/head slump）6。  A deficiency in purpose and surplus of pretention。 I feel I would be doing a disservice if all I did was diss this book and not give a brief synopsis。 This is a book about a girl （and as I'm typing this I realize she is not actually a girl but a woman in her late thirties who has the emotional depth of a girl） who has issues with men and flees New York under the basis of male inflicted trauma but in actuality it is to track down a woman who I guess is her sister。 Joan moves to "the canyon"。 As in the Los Angeles area。 As in the one that lends itself to an alternative living hippy-dippy Mommas and Poppas playing in the background while Squeaky takes marching orders from Manson type vibes。 She has an indifferent affinity for older married men who give her things like presents and complexes， and a full-fledged unreciprocated infatuation for a more age-appropriate married man she affectionately （re: doofily） refers to as Big Sky。 （Go ahead and roll your eyes。 He wears a fishing vest under a cashmere jacket。 And this。。。is THE ONE。） This infatuation is eventually rivaled by the infatuation she has with Alice。 And flashbacks， and meandering， and narrating to an unknown person， and yadda yadda yadda。 And she does have some legitimate male trauma。 But she also has the rapes you shower and dress for （her words not mine）。 And you can see that this is really a bad synopsis because as i said before THERE IS NO STORYLINE。 I guess if I had to pick the most annoying thing about this book it would be that the dialogue is just sentences with dashes。 Just sentences and dashes。 You don’t know who the fuck is talking。 This is not the first book in recent years I’ve seen do dialogue this way。 I sincerely hope this does not become a trend。 And let’s be honest。 If a little no name writer like me sent an agent a book with this type of dialogue…do we really think that shit would go over well？ No。 They’d be like “Who’s this dumbass country kid who doesn’t know about quotation marks and indenting？ Off to the slush pile with her mealy manuscript！” （Mealy is an MFA word。 If you feel it doesn’t flow naturally from your fingers， it’s probably because you haven’t been through the program。 Another word would have made more sense in this instance， but why the bloody hell would I want to make sense？ What am I， a paltry pauper for you to pincer at your pleasure？）  But if the right author decides she wants to play fast and hard with the most basic rules of writing then “Oooohhh， it’s STYLE！”Mkay。 Let’s talk about style。 PROSE。 Oh， the prose。 Prose by any other name would smell as sweet。 Prose， I could just overdose。I’m realizing as I type this “prose” might actually be my third most hated non-offensive word。 Daddy， then pussy， then prose。Anyway。 It’s as if the author is just pulling words at random out of her mental rolodex of fanciful phrases and throwing them willy nilly in a sentence。 With total disregard for where the sentence was going。 She don’t give a F U C K where her sentences are going。 If she’s three quarters of the way through a line and hasn’t said something nonsensically flowery， trust and believe she’s gonna go full out pansy before the period。 So disjointed and random。 Like when Paul McCartney said “Found my way upstairs and had a smoke。 And somebody spoke and I went into a dream。” Except without the gravitas and documented hallucinogenic consumption to feel natural。In fact， the writing as a whole felt very， very forced。 Not everyone can pull off psychedelia lyrical writing。 You are not Jefferson Airplane。Stick to the Gonzo Journalism and affected essays you’re used to。 My next biggest gripe would be with this subgenre that has emerged from mainstream literary fiction。 What do we want to call it？ Feminist Psychological？ Psychopathic Feminist？ Fem Gore？ I don’t know。 And I know the genre doesn’t know either。 And that， case in point， is my issue。 “Psychologically rich， feminist literary fiction。” As described by Booklist。 So you want to write something feminist， but shocking。 So you’re straddling a line。 On one side you have trigger warnings and on the other side you have triggers。 Just set yourself all the way up for failure because those two things ain’t exactly Velcro。This author I feel did not do a thorough enough character study to understand the motivations， mannerisms， or mind of the animalistic and depraved woman she wanted to write。 It felt like she forced the character onto the page for shock value without taking the time to crawl inside this character she was adamant to create。 Do depraved people announce their depravity？ Is that what they lead with？ Food for thought。 If her intent was to create a psychopath， she failed。 She created a basic bitch who masquerades as a cookie-cutter cool girl who occasionally behaves badly to reconcile the self-disgust within herself that can be partially attributed to men。 This story unconsciously gives power back to men， which I think is the last thing it wanted to do。 Joan was only “villainous” in nature because men made her that way。 Also， not for nothing， depraved people are typically denigrating others， not getting denigrated themselves。 Murder， especially quick without torture， isn’t really denigrating。 Murder isn’t rape。 Murder isn’t shame。 Just sayin。 Killing an old man who already had one foot in the grave is kinda like bringing the butter knife to a tactical psychological warfare fight。Oh yeah， spoiler warning， she only killed ONE person。 From the descriptions of this book you’d think she was a serial killer。 Unless I missed a murder or two between all the 1/4 and 2/10s rapes that were happening on the daily。 Let’s get back on the feminist thing。 What the actual fuck is a “feminist writer”？ Look… I’m not not a feminist。 I’m a woman。 Of course I’m a feminist。 （By its base level definition rooted in respect and equality。） That said， I’m not one who cloaks myself in the pageantry aspect of it as a major self-identifier。 I’m not a feminist writer。 I’m a writer who’s a woman， among other things。 Once you take a noun and make it an adjective and a genre and a personality trait…。and a marketing device…things can get a little goofy。 You lose sight of the meaning， rendering it an empty word， that turns into a label you just slap on anything。 At one point Joan recounts a scene to Alice where she massages the married Big Sky and then allows him to jerk off on her chest。 And then he proceeds to get her a paper towel before leaving。 Not a warm wash cloth。 He threw her a Bounty Quicker Picker Upper。 It probably wasn’t even Bounty。 Two questions。 1。 Is that female empowerment？ Wiping spunk off yourself with off-brand one ply？ 2。 Is that what a depraved， manipulative， metaphorical chess-playing woman would do？ Obsesses over a man at age thirty fucking seven as if she were still seventeen， not require he get her off， and then allow him to spray her down like a graffiti tagged underpass？（I know I probably sound so anti-feminist and sex negative right now。 But let’s be real。 You can see something as not degrading。 But if the other party is doing it with degrading intent…is your open minded sexually liberated stance not somewhat null and void？） Sometimes I feel like feminists， and thus “feminist writers”， reflect an idea that indiscriminate sex for the sake of indiscriminate sex somehow moves the needle forward。 What are y’all fucking for？ To fulfill a notion in your head that you’re on equal footing with the nonconsequential fellas your bedding？ I can understand if it’s for pleasure， satisfying strings-free recreation with a fwb， or emotional connection with a partner…but I can’t understand if it’s for a notion。 This character represents the romantic notion of a flawed but strong female protagonist， not the reality。 Side Bar to the longtime feminists: The formidable Jackie Collins did not get heckled by y’all in the 80s for you to uphold this drivel in 2021。 At least her female characters were getting their shit off。  In conclusion… Weird sex and fixations for the sake of weird sex and fixations。 Blood and gore for the sake of blood and gore。 Instead of getting in the gratuitous mud with some of the male writers， wouldn’t the real empowering recourse have been to do “psychologically dark” better than them？ What the book sounded most genuinely like was a highbrow over praised white male author （ala Franzen， Gabrille Tallent， whoever） writing a story about a "depraved" woman。 Shrug。 If that was the tonal goal， then that was achieved。  Random Thoughts While ReadingThe author describes female legs as both Coltish and Clydesdale。 Granted， they were two different women， but still。 I previously thought only male writers described gangly young girls as having "coltish" legs。 But I was wrong。 This seems to not be an outdated semi sexist thing， but rather an MFA stylistic thing。 It annoys me because it sounds like a pedophile's adjective and also because COLTS ARE MALE HORSES UNDER THE AGE OF THREE。 Perhaps equine studies should be taught in conjunction with creative writing and fine literature。 Then again， "fillyish legs" doesn't have quite the same chichi ring。 Isn't it funny how some words carry an air of affectedness and others just don't？ There should be a case study on this。  There were scenes between Joan and Eleanor--where they've kinda got this love-hate， age-disproportional， semi nonconsensual cohabitation thing going on--- that gave me The Last Bad Man vibes。 The Last Bad Man might be my least favorite book of all time。  There were moments in the Lenny sections where it felt like this book wanted to have an Eyes Wide Shut element。。。except the author didn't really know what Eyes Wide Shut was about。 There moments of murder and "depravity" where it felt like this book wanted to be American Psycho。。。if only the author knew what America Psycho was really about。 There were moments where it felt like this book wanted to be Gone Girl as so many post Gone Girl books do。。。except the lead character was way too reliable a narrator and much too weak。 。。。more

Daria ，

I really enjoyed Lisa's book， Three Women， so was really looking forward to this one however it wasn't my favourite。 While she is a beautiful writer， I found she sometimes threw in lines that I didn't feel did anything to advance the story and sometimes even made it a bit confusing。The book touched on some very heavy subject matter and at times was pretty graphic so I don't think it's for everyone， however you can't deny that Lisa Taddeo has an amazing ability to captured a complicated woman。 Ov I really enjoyed Lisa's book， Three Women， so was really looking forward to this one however it wasn't my favourite。 While she is a beautiful writer， I found she sometimes threw in lines that I didn't feel did anything to advance the story and sometimes even made it a bit confusing。The book touched on some very heavy subject matter and at times was pretty graphic so I don't think it's for everyone， however you can't deny that Lisa Taddeo has an amazing ability to captured a complicated woman。 Overall I'm glad I read it but don't know if I would have chosen or finished it if it wasn't for it being a book club choice。 。。。more

jana！ ，

first book I finished while on campus。 too tired to come up with thoughts。

Hannah Lane ，

Didn’t finish

Brynn ，

"What kind of a girl wants to be the sun over a country she doesn't even want to visit。" （5）"One and a half was my magic number for most pills。 It was more than necessary without being too much。" （30）"It seemed possible the key to life was contained on street corners in springtime when a man retrieved a woman's scarf from the sidewalk。" （42）"You can throw it all away but I found it's nice to have fabric。 It stores memory in an accessible way。" （69）"The times you are most willing to die are， iron "What kind of a girl wants to be the sun over a country she doesn't even want to visit。" （5）"One and a half was my magic number for most pills。 It was more than necessary without being too much。" （30）"It seemed possible the key to life was contained on street corners in springtime when a man retrieved a woman's scarf from the sidewalk。" （42）"You can throw it all away but I found it's nice to have fabric。 It stores memory in an accessible way。" （69）"The times you are most willing to die are， ironically， the times you are having the most fun。" （127）"There is so much power in the way we obsess。 If we could only harness it。 If we would only redirect it。" （156） 。。。more

mary ，

Did not finish - why would I spend so much time trying to read such an unpleasant book。

Marina ，

Such a complex， hurt， sad， dark（！） character and book - I found it difficult to read at times， filled with so much desperation， loneliness and trauma though incredibly well-written！

Clare Hilsz ，

The story of Joan。Escaping from a series of traumas in NYC， the plot unravels Joans complicated past and how it leads to her retreating to the hills above LA in the search for a person who holds the key to her past。 That all sounds relatively low key and palatable; 🤔BUCKLE IN ！！！！ Cue plot twist and open a veritable can of worms writhing with complicated messy relationships， abuse， rage， depravity and visceral descriptions of dis functional relationships！ （ of course I was going to stay on brand The story of Joan。Escaping from a series of traumas in NYC， the plot unravels Joans complicated past and how it leads to her retreating to the hills above LA in the search for a person who holds the key to her past。 That all sounds relatively low key and palatable; 🤔BUCKLE IN ！！！！ Cue plot twist and open a veritable can of worms writhing with complicated messy relationships， abuse， rage， depravity and visceral descriptions of dis functional relationships！ （ of course I was going to stay on brand 🥴🤪🤯）I can barely get my thoughts together about this book because I am a flattened husk of a person since finishing it ！！🤯I was scared going in because I knew it was going to be a tough read。 It was。 So many squirm， I think I need to stop and take a breath moments; BUT it was so brilliantly written I couldn’t stop reading。 Much like witnessing a tragedy; not wanting to look and yet not wanting to turn away ！ 😬Many many people will hate this book because of the manner in which men are portrayed as hideous and cruel ; but also because this book is grimey， violent and filled with gratuitous descriptions of trauma。 😬 Joan herself is an unlikeable， prickly and flawed character。 She is insecure yet confident， sex obsessed， searching for love yet dripping with rage and toxicity; the ultimate self destructive contradictory anti heroine！ It’s strange when you despise yet empathise with elements of the protagonist！ I couldn’t put it down although it made me feel seedy and in need of a shower。 🥴🤯😩I love a book that makes my head spin so much I have to quickly reread it as soon as I finish the last page。If you have a strong stomach 。。 buckle in for a ride ！5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more

Niamh Walsh-Vorster ，

So well written！ Reading the Note on the Author， Taddeo's already sitting next to writing royalty。 So well written！ Reading the Note on the Author， Taddeo's already sitting next to writing royalty。 。。。more

Elise M ，

Whatever this genre is that Lisa Taddeo is cornering， I f*****g love it。 A harsh and brutal read， far more so than her debut Three Women， and still it ended on a note of pure grace， a hard won reward for all the horror。 I feel sorry for anyone who gave up without finishing this one。

Ed Maher ，

Lisa Taddeo should stick to nonfiction because her writing‘s better when it’s rationed。 Her first novel， ‘Animal，’ suffered no limits。 Sex was everywhere。 It wasn’t a failure of imagination， but one of execution。 When it comes to the topic of human sexuality， it might be easier to report a story rather than invent one。‘Three Women’ and ‘Animal’ are both about the sexual exploitation of women。 But the former was based on actual events。 It was an in-depth analysis of the sex lives of three real wo Lisa Taddeo should stick to nonfiction because her writing‘s better when it’s rationed。 Her first novel， ‘Animal，’ suffered no limits。 Sex was everywhere。 It wasn’t a failure of imagination， but one of execution。 When it comes to the topic of human sexuality， it might be easier to report a story rather than invent one。‘Three Women’ and ‘Animal’ are both about the sexual exploitation of women。 But the former was based on actual events。 It was an in-depth analysis of the sex lives of three real women over many years。 ‘Animal’ is a novel told in first person narrative by a very troubled woman named Joan。 Taddeo tried to make her a martyr and didn’t succeed。 Truth isn’t always stranger than fiction。 It’s not that ‘Animal’ went too far， though many will think it did。 It’s just that， for me， a lot of the shock value was completely unnecessary。 The author’s message was shrouded because the narrator was too obsessive and blunt。 Over time， I’ll remember Joan， but I won’t consider all the other women she’s supposed to represent。 That’s a problem for an author looking to convey a social justice message。Lisa Taddeo’s decision to make Joan a first person narrator was a huge mistake in my opinion。 She ceded total control。 If she had chosen to tell the story in third person， the backstory wouldn’t have come off as so convoluted and excessive。 Her sexual escapades on the day her parents abandoned her were completely over the top for a ten year old girl。 Decades later， her seduction of a senile old man， minutes after a miscarriage， was more implausible than wrong。 When viewed through Joan’s filter， everyone’s equally guilty of lustful want。 Women as well as men。 A neutral， third person point of view might have provided more leeway in our judgment of Taddeo’s other characters。 As it was， Joan’s bias yielded too much collateral damage。 There wasn’t any nuance。 An experienced novelist would have recognized that。 A smarter novelist never would have employed a first person narrator in their debut without having thought more about the consequences。 I suspect it was her own hubris。 She knows her subject matter too well。 Though even when you’re a skilled journalist or documentarian， it doesn’t necessarily translate to quality fiction writing。 There are so many more ways a novel can go off track than a nonfiction book。 The whole process is subjective。 With a novel， even the plot doesn’t matter that much。 It’s the combination of all of the other myriad and random choices that create the magic。 Lisa Taddeo may still be too one dimensional to create remarkable illusions。 。。。more

Sarah van den Bergh ，

''I felt safe because I wanted to fuck him more than he wanted to fuck me。''Lisa Taddeo， author of Three Women （a book I still haven't read。。。）， came out with this controversial novel on female rage。 Some of Taddeo's insights are extremely on point regarding the current dating climate from a women's point of view。 But the trauma of protagonist Joan felt so gratuitous that I was quite bored at times。。。 I'm not sure if I would recommend this novel， but I'm curious to read Three Women！ ''I felt safe because I wanted to fuck him more than he wanted to fuck me。''Lisa Taddeo， author of Three Women （a book I still haven't read。。。）， came out with this controversial novel on female rage。 Some of Taddeo's insights are extremely on point regarding the current dating climate from a women's point of view。 But the trauma of protagonist Joan felt so gratuitous that I was quite bored at times。。。 I'm not sure if I would recommend this novel， but I'm curious to read Three Women！ 。。。more

Sanna ，

This book’s pretty insane， a bit messy and the characters are not very likeable。 It’s a relatively quick read and enjoyable。 One of the best I’ve read this year so far。

Marla Kauffman ，

I really only did 4 stars instead of 5 because I thought it was irresponsible of the author not to write this poor woman a therapist。

Sara ，

If you loved Sweet Bitter， this ones for you。 Brutal， violent， honest

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Animal (Export)

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Animal (Export)&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Animal (Export)&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0