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A review by shorshewitch
PET by Akwaeke Emezi
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Revolution came to Lucille long back and the angels all drove the monsters out. The people of Lucille are absolutely sure there are no monsters any more. They all respect each other, treat their kids with dignity and maturity, refrain from using violence of any kind, are queer friendly and believe in reformative justice. But like we read in Utopias of all kinds, there is no Utopia that doesn't have some level of Dystopia. Not yet, at least. Utopias can truly be maintained only if we decide to collectively look far, far away the other direction.
Jam is a citizen of Lucille and lives with her parents Aloe and Bitter. Redemption, her best friend, and his brother, Moss, live with their parents - Malachite, Whisper and Beloved - just a short distance away. One day, Jam accidentally summons an entity from another realm, through one of Bitter's paintings. Why is the entity here? Are they angel or monster? What are they hunting? All these questions form the rest of the story.
I have been a fan of Akwaeke Emezi since I read their The Death of Vivek Oji. That book made me bawl. Pet moved me as well.
Pet implores us to think of a world not completely devoid of crime and criminals, but with a better understanding of justice and rehabilitation of both the perpetrators and the survivor in a manner that neither diminishes the injustice done to the survivor nor denies the humanity of the perpetrator.
The conversations between Jam and everyone else around her are super comforting. It is a quick read. The climax is neatly and cleanly folded.
We have for far too long resisted even imagining a world without police and prison industrial complex. Of course it will require a lot of organizing and imagination. But like Angela Davis, in her phenomenal "Are Prisons Obsolete?" tells us, it was hard for us to imagine a world without slavery as well, and yet here we are. There is no need to have all answers immediately. There is a need to start conversations though. We need to have more stories put together by creative brains because how else do we build a society that reflects its literature.
Pet is therefore an important book. A significant initial tiny step towards a world full of radical kindness. This is a great pick for the Trans Readathon, or any other readathon for the prompt where the protagonist is a trans person.
Revolution came to Lucille long back and the angels all drove the monsters out. The people of Lucille are absolutely sure there are no monsters any more. They all respect each other, treat their kids with dignity and maturity, refrain from using violence of any kind, are queer friendly and believe in reformative justice. But like we read in Utopias of all kinds, there is no Utopia that doesn't have some level of Dystopia. Not yet, at least. Utopias can truly be maintained only if we decide to collectively look far, far away the other direction.
Jam is a citizen of Lucille and lives with her parents Aloe and Bitter. Redemption, her best friend, and his brother, Moss, live with their parents - Malachite, Whisper and Beloved - just a short distance away. One day, Jam accidentally summons an entity from another realm, through one of Bitter's paintings. Why is the entity here? Are they angel or monster? What are they hunting? All these questions form the rest of the story.
I have been a fan of Akwaeke Emezi since I read their The Death of Vivek Oji. That book made me bawl. Pet moved me as well.
Pet implores us to think of a world not completely devoid of crime and criminals, but with a better understanding of justice and rehabilitation of both the perpetrators and the survivor in a manner that neither diminishes the injustice done to the survivor nor denies the humanity of the perpetrator.
The conversations between Jam and everyone else around her are super comforting. It is a quick read. The climax is neatly and cleanly folded.
We have for far too long resisted even imagining a world without police and prison industrial complex. Of course it will require a lot of organizing and imagination. But like Angela Davis, in her phenomenal "Are Prisons Obsolete?" tells us, it was hard for us to imagine a world without slavery as well, and yet here we are. There is no need to have all answers immediately. There is a need to start conversations though. We need to have more stories put together by creative brains because how else do we build a society that reflects its literature.
Pet is therefore an important book. A significant initial tiny step towards a world full of radical kindness. This is a great pick for the Trans Readathon, or any other readathon for the prompt where the protagonist is a trans person.