A review by justine014
Animal by Lisa Taddeo

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

3.5

Really not sure how I feel about this. Enjoyed the prose a lot, though it veered into overly long descriptions at times. Appreciated many of the observations about sex and gender dynamics, though some of Joan’s perspectives on both felt a bit dated, as if her character missed the last 15 years of feminist discourse, and I can’t tell if that was intentional due to her circumstances and also because she’s a bit older?? It also bothered me that characters would often not speak like normal people but instead went on long, incredibly polished monologues which did not feel realistic. Then again, I love Mike Flanagan’s TV shows and those do the same thing so idk why it bothered me here. 
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