Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor

7 reviews

reb_knits's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The structure got a little confusing but I loved the idea — having short stories that alternate between a central character and stories of related and unrelated other characters that enrich the themes of the main character 

Definitely excited to read more from this author!
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xosirenox's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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raoulalexander's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the best short story collection I've read so far
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amye's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mmatti300's review

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was so close to a five star in a lot of ways, except for the fact that I actually hated the central story. I found Lionel, Charles, and Sophie’s story to be way too similar to real life and with more of the subtle abuses (to the point where it was so subtle that others may not have seen their relationship as inherently abusive). However, Anne of Cleves, What Made them Made You, and Mass were all 5 stars for me, and if Lionel and Charles had been more like those this would have been a 5 star collection. I also was not expecting it to have a central story like it did. Instead of a short story collection, this is more of a novella with short stories that branch off of it attached. What Brandon Taylor does do really well, and shows in this book, is offering a glimpse into real life and the betrayal and filthy nature of real people. And I really appreciated how, because each story was like a snapshot of one persons life, it ended in a vague spot — open to countless questions. 
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bella_cavicchi's review

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love this cover and the stories held inside. The writing is slow, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Well worth a read, as is Taylor's debut, REAL LIFE.

And to keep note: "Filthy Animals" -- the book's namesake -- is by far my favorite story in the collection!
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deedireads's review

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dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Filthy Animals is, as we expect from Brandon Taylor, a masterful collection of stories; I especially loved the linked ones. This book more than lives up to the hype.

For you if: You like queer short stories and excellent character-driven writing.

FULL REVIEW:

First, thank you to Riverhead for granting me a review copy of this collection on NetGalley! Filthy Animals is one of the most anticipated books of the year, and it absolutely lives up to the hype.

The collection opens with a story about a man named Lionel, who has hit a particularly difficult point in his life, and who meets two dancers in an open relationship at a friend’s potluck dinner. Every alternating story in the collection returns to these three characters, which, strung together, could have even become a novella. I really liked this format, the promise that we will come back and learn more about them, return to the near-tangible tension between them, see what happens next. But all the other stories in the collection are incredible, too, as one would expect from Brandon Taylor.

I feel, now, that I could recognize Taylor’s writing anywhere, just by the level of detail he includes on every page. His writing zooms in on practically everything, which draws meaning and poignancy out of the otherwise mundane. Reading his stories, I feel like I could be an ant inside them, viewing every surface, every facial expression, every moment from close up. And then he zooms out when it comes to dialogue, letting every word ring and echo in hollow space. The result is both quiet and loud.

This is one of those books where I think the back-cover blurb is especially on the nose: “Psychologically taut and quietly devastating,” and “a tender portrait of the fierce longing for intimacy, the lingering presence of pain, and the desire for love in a world that seems, more often than not, to withhold it.” I really can’t sum it up any better than that.
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