Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is an amazing book. It was scary and creepy, thought-provoking and sad, and ultimately hopeful.

In the city of Lucille, there are no monsters anymore. Or, at least, that’s what Jam and her best friend Redemption have always been taught in school. But when Jam accidentally brings a creature through her mother’s painting, it tells her something different. There are still monsters lurking in Lucille, and it is here to hunt them. As Jam works to uncover the truth about the monster hidden in plain sight, and this mysterious creature who tells her to call it Pet, she must also protect her best friend Redemption and convince her parents that monsters are still here and closer than anyone wants to admit.

I loved the concept of this book and thought it was well executed. The fact that bad people don’t look “bad” and that good people often enable bad people by refusing to see or admit that bad things are happening, is a difficult truth to teach, and Emezi does a delicate job of handling this for young adult readers. She’s also a beautiful writer, with a stark and straight-forward style, and it was a joy to read, even as the theme was dark and difficult throughout.

I also appreciated that Emezi so expertly and accurately portrayed main character Jam, who is a transgender, autistic teenage girl. Jam is on hormone treatments and prefers to communicate non-verbally, and this added important elements to the story. It was my first time reading a story with a transgender main character, and I hope the success of Pet shows more publishers they should invest in these stories as well.

Magical, diverse, important! REALLY LIKED THIS BOOK!

I requested this ARC because of the author. Akwaeke Emezi became one of my all-time fav authors with Freshwater. Freshwater, and now Pet, are EXACTLY the kind of Magical Realism and writing style I love.

The writing was as magical as I was expecting and, even though the plot moved a little slow for my taste, so was the story.

The book read more like a Children or MG book than a YA, though. The way Jam speaks seemed younger than YA. And their is quite some telling especially in the dialogues, as if the author is trying to explain or oversimplify things for the reader, especially around the central topics of child abuse. Unfortunately that made the characters act unrealistic and the dialogues stilted at times. That's the reason I didn't give it 5 stars.

But, Akwaeke didn't disappoint! Her writing is just FANTASTIC and I love the topics her stories explore and how diverse they are especially around gender and sexuality. I will continue to read anything Akwaeke writes!

I thought the monster metaphor was good in this book, but would have liked a little more background. How were all the monsters found and removed before? Why did mom have the ability to bring art to life?

I realize I am in the minority here but I did not like this book and don't really understand why other people are liking it. I am usually of the opinion that while this book may not be for me but, other people may like it. However, with this book I actively do not want people to read it or like it.
*******************Personal Rant****************************
In perusing other reviews I have noticed that people are extrapolating that the monsters in this book are rapists, child abusers and corrupt politicians however, what is scary to me is that when I read between the lines it seems that the "monster" is anyone who has different values and opinions than the author. Different opinions do not have to be polarizing they can just be different!

Pet is an intense, suspenseful, and thought-provoking read that packs a lot into 200 pages. The story is set in a somewhat utopian future years after police and prison were abolished in a revolution in which "angels" rooted out the "monsters" of society. The protagonist, Jam, a Black trans girl who mostly communicates through sign language, accidentally brings to life a creature from her mother's painting and becomes a helper to the creature, Pet, who is on the hunt for a monster hiding in plain sight. The problem is the monster lurks in the home of Jam's best friend, Redemption. With no idea how to identify monsters, who are more legend than reality to someone of her generation, Jam must research the past and learn from a history that has been obscured over time. The story challenges readers to consider the nature of good and evil, the danger of judging by appearances, and the folly of using labels like "angel" and "monster" for people, who are more complex than black and white binaries. It also illustrates how harm can go unchecked when people become complacent.

Children in the city of Lucille are taught that monsters no longer exist. Jam soon meets Pet, a creature created out of one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood. Pet has come to hunt a monster living in the home of Redemption, Jam's best friend. Something definitely lurks in Redemption's house, so Jam has to protect her best friend and uncover the truth in a world that won't admit that monsters still exist after all.

This is a novel geared to young adults and poses difficult questions and choices for the characters. The introduction not only tells us who the monsters were, those who shot children or abused power in myriad ways but also introduces the fact that Jam uses sign language to communicate outside of her family. Redemption replies in words but easily understands her signs and that Jam continually looks for more information and learning. She isn't content with pat answers and ellipses in the history taught in schools, and her mother is exceedingly honest about the past of Lucille: "Angels aren't pretty pictures in old holy books, just like monsters aren't ugly pictures. It's all just people, doing hard things or bad things. But is all just people, our people."

The language from page one is lyrical and beautifully flowing, and even the description of Jam's gender identity is wonderful. Her parents are understanding and supportive, helping her reach the reality of who she is from the start. They're good people, sure that the monsters of old are all gone, and afraid of the fact that Pet was summoned. Instead of going for the easy answers, Jam keeps Pet in her world, set on finding out who the monster is and wanting to stop it. She has to see what isn't usually seen and face her own fears about what would be found once she sees it. On top of that, she had to keep Pet a secret from her parents, and the fear of secrets weighs on her as well.

This is a great story for middle-grade readers as well as young adults and can be used as a way to broach the subject of injustice and child abuse. Nothing is explicitly outlined, in keeping with the fact that Jam is still a teenager and called a child repeatedly. The responsibility of finding out about the abuse and revealing it a large one, and despite her fears she forges ahead. The simplicity of her task doesn't mean it isn't difficult or stresses the relationships that she has. This is a story that haunts in a different kind of way than most monster stories because the monster can be anyone, even those you trust most.

This is a somewhat dark and introspective story that guides the reader to ask big questions about the nature of humanity. Completely loved this.

A dark story with a touch of whimsy, Pet is a book I want to give to everybody in my life over the age of ten.

Quick Take: In his own voices middle grade debut, Akwaeke Emezi takes the difficult issues of sexual violence, physical abuse, drug use, and other social problems and personifies them as literal monsters that only our protagonist Jam can see. After all, she summoned one from a painting with her own blood. The reader follows Jam as she tries to figure out the nature of the monster haunting her best friend Redemption’s home, and a long the way realizes that maybe the Utopian society she has been told she lives in isn’t what she thought.

What I Loved: Emezi gives his readers a lot to consider and confront in a world torn apart by political agendas and struggles of equality. Among the prevalent themes are ideas of questioning authority and redefining what it means to obtain justice. The characters are diverse in almost ever sense including: race, physical ability and gender.

What I Didn’t Love: I honestly have no complaints with this little book. However, I will say that this is an incredibly heavy read. I actually had to take a day to think about the implications of this important, all too relevant story. So if you’re looking for a middle grade with fantastical elements that will help you escape to a world free of real life problems this might not be for you. This book deserves all the hype and everyone should read it so, you know, maybe ignore what I just said.

Readalikes: Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams (MG) / The Breadwinner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis (MG)

I was hooked on this book from the first page and I pretty much read it in one sitting. The premise of the story is so new and original, I just couldn’t put the book down. Akwaeke Emezi’s writing style makes the story flow so beautifully, and her characters feel so real, it’s easy to connect with them and care about them. This book also had some of the best/most diverse representation that I think I’ve ever read in a YA book before, which was so refreshing to read. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how normalized the diversity was, and how accepting of diversity everyone in Lucille seemed to be. The world of Lucille was like a utopia, where all the monsters of the world- both literal and figurative- have been eradicated. Our own society should strive to make more positive changes, like Lucille did.

This book.

This book made me cringe. Made me want to look away. Made me grit my teeth and feel the sort of sads I had valiantly pushed away for years now. Then it somehow twisted and in the raw furrows it had dug in my heart, it planted hope.

I think maybe hope was present from the very beginning, in the idea that a city had been created where they had chased all the monsters out. (In Pet, “monsters” refers to real-life monsters. Corrupt politicians, rapists, child abusers, and so on.) It was a city that had fought to root out and destroy all the bad, and had won. Now people were accepted for who they were, lived without fear, and were encouraged to accomplish their full potential. Completely unbelievable, of course, but doesn’t it make a small part of you just ache at the possibility?

The main character in Pet, Jam, is a selective mute who happens to be a transgender female. There are many things about Lucille that I would like to see made reality. The simple acceptance of someone feeling that they were born in the wrong body, and the move help them transition into the right body as soon as possible is one of them. Jam’s parents were so supportive of her that it was absolutely amazing to read. It lent a fairy-tale air to the whole story – the way everyone accepted that Jam was Jam. It wasn’t a problem to overcome or a point of contention. It just was what it it was, and that is the type of representation we need. Jam was a reluctant heroine who just happened to be transgender.

The writing was excellent. The pacing was fantastic. The dialogue, the emotions, were all very believable. I loved Jam, and her parents, and I desperately wanted there to be no monsters in Lucille. When that monster was finally revealed though… Lord.

Lord.

Look, I want to commend Emezi for putting that particular subject right there, dead on. They don’t play, they don’t vague it. When it is finally front and center, it is dealt with right then and there. And even the wrap up still hurt. Because the wrap up should hurt. Because sometimes the one doing the things isn’t the only one doing the things.

But the hope left in the way things were dealt with? The reminder that we can handle monsters, if we trust, believe, listen, and fight against them? That soothes the raw scrapes they leave on your heart and soul as a reader.

Read this. Immediately.

A short book that packs a punch, Pet, begins in a seemingly utopian society. People called Angels fought battles in the past to remove the monsters from power, people who abused their power, brought injustice to the world and used racist, sexist, ableist and other forms of discrimination to keep only people like them in places of power and privilege.

Jam has grown up in that world, in Lucille, where there are no monsters. She is safe in this world, where no one would treat her differently based on her gender identity, ability or race. Or is she? When she stumbles and cuts herself on one of her mother's paintings a creature, who calls itself Pet, crawls out and tells her that he is in Lucille hunting a monster. Jam has to decide whether to believe Pet, and even then, what she will do about it.

The book has a very creepy feel to it, a feeling that maybe you don't know exactly who your neighbors are, and that even someone that looks and acts angelic, maybe hiding a very dark monstrous secret. Even though the writing feels like it would be appropriate for a 13 year old, the concepts and subject of the book make me wary to recommend it for that age group, but rather for older teens. Just like many sweet things that hide sour truths, the book feels sweet until suddenly it's anything but.

Wow. What consistently great work by this author. I have been recommending it to not just our teens but our adults as well.. I cannot wait for more by this author.

Scrappymags 3-word review: Strange, masterful storytelling. 5/5 stars!

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com

Genre: YA, Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Shortest summary ever: Jam, a trans teen, accidentally brings to life a painting and a creature emerges named simply “Pet.” Apparently Pet hunts monsters, but monsters in the town of Lucille are supposed to be eradicated. SUPPOSED to be...

What’s good under the hood: I’ve never read a book like this. I’ve been out of the YA game for a while so it was a refreshing jaunt back into the genre. I thought one of the best parts was that Jam was trans but that wasn’t a focus at all - it just was what it was, and THAT was refreshing. In the beginning I was a tad bored, a bit confused, and then everything came together and I could’t put the book down. It had a mythical, almost ancient oral tradition quality to it. Certainly one of a kind.

What’s bad or made me mad: It had some slow moments in the beginning but hang in there...

Recommend to: I’d label this 15+. Some of my 9th graders wouldn’t be at this level of interest. Some would.

Not recommended to: I think if you aren’t into tale-types of fiction or strange. Basically avoid if you are looking for a light read.


Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley and and the author for an advanced copy (and a memorable story) in exchange for this honest review.

Akwaeke Emezi's Pet is rather like a fairytale. In the city of Lucille there are no more monsters, the Angels came and fought them away, and the world changed for the better. Except, the monsters were people, there is no sexism, racism, or transphobia; there are no more monsters. At least that's what Jam grows up being told. Then one day she cuts herself on one of her mother's paintings and the creature painted there comes forth, summoned to hunt a monster sneaking around Lucille, and Jam must face the reality of human monsters.

The thing about human monsters is that we could quite literally change every aspect of our society to make it safe and protective for everyone and still miss those monsters if we don't remain vigilant. Emezi knows this. Pet depicts a perfect post social revolution world. Rape culture is not a thing. Jam is a trans girl who transitions on her own timeline and her world is loving and supportive of who she is. The very thing that we should wish for our trans brothers and sisters now. But even in the idealist world, monsters can survive. Monsters can thrive and grow if we look only at the good and forget to pay attention to the bad.

Fifteen-year-old Jam is a dynamic interesting main character. As a child she wouldn't speak, and so her family taught her sign language, which others in her community learned in order to communicate with her. Finally, when she did speak, it was to tell everyone that she was a girl, and her life and transition moved forwards. She is a girl who gets to live in a world parents of trans children would wish for today, a world where she is accepted for who she is and loved for who she is.

In this way, Emezi's world feels almost like the failed versions of the Matrix, where everything was so perfect the humans woke up and wouldn't stay contained. That's where Pet, the creature from the painting Jam's mother finished, comes in. Because everyone's so focused on moving on with the good they forget to watch for the bad. Just because the problem is solved once, doesn't mean it can't pop up again. Jam must decide whether to help Pet hunt the monster knowing things could go badly, or decide to hide and ignore the issue as everyone else is doing.

Overall, Pet is a really great book. I would flag, however, that the writing level is for a much younger age group than the topics. I'd say the book itself is reading level accessible to 11-13, but topic wise might be more 13/14. It's the trickiness of YA books. Emezi is a beautiful writer the prose are lovely and the plot and premise are strong. I can't wait to read more from Emezi.

Pet was provided to me by Random House via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one of the best books I've read all year. A timely read about the current political culture while still being an adventure urban fantasy for middle grade and teen readers.

when a highly awaited book actually exceeds my expectations all I wanna do is cry and give a sacrificial offering to whatever gods held its fate in their hands

I read Emezi’s debut novel, Freshwater, last year and was completely enthralled. It was unique and fascinating and like nothing I had ever read before. So I was pretty sure this was a novel I was going to read eventually no matter what the circumstances, but it moved up my TBR pretty quickly after it was on the shortlist for the 2019 National Book Award.

The city of Lucille is a utopian place, one where there are no more monsters to be found, after the revolution found them all out and sent them all for rehabilitation. At least, that’s what Jam and her friend Redemption had always been taught. But all their knowledge is challenged when one night a creature, a terrifying looking creature named Pet, emerges from one of Jam’s mother’s paintings and announces that it’s come to hunt a monster in their midst…a monster that it says lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam doesn’t want to believe what Pet is saying, but can she ignore the potential threat to her best friend’s well-being?

First, wow. Just wow. This is so completely different from their first novel that I cannot in any way compare the two books, but what I can say is that this one affected me in a way their first did not. Pet confronts, head first, not only the things that we want to pretend don’t exist, but the very fact that we want to pretend that. Lucille is a place where monsters don’t exist anymore, everyone knows that the revolution cleared them out. So, for every day that the people there live “safe” in that knowledge, it is one more day that they forget what monsters look like. And that is dangerous, since just because you forget what to look out for, just because you act as though something doesn’t exist anymore, that doesn’t change the truth that it could still be there, could return at any time. And you are left more vulnerable than before. This is such an incredibly important message to everyone who would rather (and is able to) ignore the dark undercurrents (and overt currents) in the world today – because that denial is causing pain, trauma, death and myriad other horrific side-effects. As Pet says, just because you don’t want to acknowledge the truth, doesn’t make it any less the truth. I honestly cannot say that I have ever read anything that so clearly and smoothly addresses this topic. Emezi impresses the importance of remembering, and teaching openly, about the difficult things (because ignoring doesn’t make them exist any less) in such a demonstrative and distinct way, so that’s it’s impossible to miss, but not didactically off-putting. What a skill, oh my gosh.

In addition to that, as with their last book, Emezi does a phenomenal job addressing complex topics in an accessible and accepting way. Jam, our MC, is trans and it’s presented in such a straightforward way. I just loved that it was not the focal point but just basic background about her, just the same as how old she is or what her favorite hobbies are. Relatedly, Jam chooses to use sign language as her main form of communication, “voicing” only under certain circumstances. This too was introduced in an everyday sort of way, and completely taken in stride by her friends and family, which I also loved. This is the first time I’ve read a character like that and it was really interesting to me – one of my favorite parts of reading is learning and experiencing new things like that, and the related terminology, etc. (i.e. using “voice” to indicate vocalization). Along these lines, Redemption’s family is non-traditional, as he has three parent partners, one of whom is nonbinary, and the normalization of that, in the way Emezi presents it, along with the positive way its presented (families can and do look so different in so many places/cultures, so why is that not just as much of a legitimate look as any other), was just so heart-warming to read. In yet another example, the librarian, Ube, is physically disabled and uses a wheelchair. All in all, I love that these aspects of the characters and their families are included, to give them visibility and spread understanding and insight and show how these pieces of themselves affect them, but I also appreciate that it’s not all there is to their lives or identities. There is just so much fantastic and diverse representation is this novel!

The one thing that I do want to note is that this book seemed to me to lean more middle grade than young adult, as far as plot development and, really, the writing in general. I mean, I understand the concepts are heavy and emotional, but the way they are presented seems to me to be one that would appeal to and work for MG-level readers at least as much as a YA crowd. Not least because the main characters read, to me, as MG-age. But also because of the point Emezi is making with the story as a whole – there is no age too young to learn about the types of monsters that one may encounter in life, because knowing what to look for can protect you and your loved ones, because ignoring the possibility of monsters leaves you more vulnerable to being hurt by one, and because this kind of “education” can always be done in age-appropriate ways (as they demonstrate here). However, regardless of the “proper” target age for this novel, I (a solidly adult-aged person) enjoyed and learned from it. Especially, it’s worth noting, because it is (as it often is) the adult-aged characters who refuse to see the signs for what is happening right under their noses. And while of course no one ever wants to believe something like this is happening in their home or within their family (no actual spoilers, but TW for child abuse), ignoring those signs doesn’t make it not happen, or stop happening. So from that perspective, I absolutely recommend this novel widely, as far as reader age goes.

For a little more on the writing itself, it’s honestly written so well. Each characters’ voice and personality is distinct and alive, in a way that is vibrant, but never overdone. And it’s all presented in a way that it appropriate for a younger age audience, but isn’t “below,” if you will, a more adult audience. This is particularly true for our MC, Jam. I felt like her thought processes were authentic and relatable, but never crossed the line into gratuitous, which is impressive, because a lot of this book happened in her own head, as she worked through how to handle the complex situations she faced with her family, with Pet and, especially, with Redemption. Speaking of which, Jam’s relationship with Redemption was gorgeous. It was full of mutual trust and respect and, even when they fought, a willingness to understand and accept the other’s POV and reasons for the actions they took. Definitely had me thinking that we could all use more friendships like that, no matter how old we are - #goals.

Overall, I really thought this was spectacular in so many ways. And even the simplicity of the plot itself wasn’t enough to outweigh the overall greatness of the messages and the inclusionary-ness of the characters. Plus, it’s such a short, fast read that it’s more that worth the time it took to experience it. Really, just a wonderful addressing of some of the hardest aspects of reality, and the importance of recognizing them, even when it seems easier not to.

“…it’s hard to build a new world without making people angry.”

“The problem is, when you think you’ve been without monsters for so long, sometimes you forget what they look like, what they sound like, no matter how much remembering your education urges you to do. It’s not the same when the monsters are gone. You’re only remembering shadows of them, stories that seem to be limited to the pages or screens you read them from. Flat and dull things. So, yes, people forget. But forgetting is dangerous. Forgetting is how the monsters come back.”

“Could you really make something stop existing just by shoving it away somewhere else?”

“Adults were like that so much of the time, inflexible when they thought they had something to protect.”

“The truth does not change whether it is seen or unseen, it whispered in her mind. A thing that is happening happens whether you look at it or not. And yes, maybe it is easier not to look. Maybe it is easier to say because you do not see it, it is not happening.”

“‘Am I a terrible person?’ she asked Pet. ‘There is no such thing,’ it replied. ‘There’s only what you do.’”

“Truth does not care if it feels true or not. It is true nonetheless.”

Do not be afraid.

Whoa. What a book. This book is much more complex then its’ deceptively simple tone and plot.

Pet tells the story of Jam, a young woman in a town that has been cleansed of all “monsters” (basically, all bad people) by “angels” (good people who fought against bad individuals and turned the system/the law around so their would be punishment for bad actions). This is set in the town of Lucille, where again, all evil has been eradicated and it is essentially a utopia. People are safe, parents and society are supportive (Jam’s parents were incredibly supportive while she was transitioning, and Redemption has three parents), there is no crime, etc etc. One night her mom paints a “monstrous” painting and Jam accidentally brings it to life. The creature, named Pet, is on the hunt for a real monster in the town, and so the story begins.

This book is short but it is still incredibly dense with content. There are so many layers to unpack here, with the idea of “what makes someone a monster” and “monsters just look like everyone else” readily discussed and dissected. The writing may not be for everyone. It reminded me a bit of Damsel which was another short-ish book with dark and stranger writings about terrible topics. Still, I think this book should be essential reading in these times, as it tackles issues we face now and will probably continue to face for many years to come as long as the people in power remain unchanging. The plot is relatively straightforward and there really aren’t any twists. Kind of spoiler-y, but the reveal of the eventual monster wasn’t really shocking to me, and a moment where Jam doesn’t reveal something to her friend that turns around to bite her in the butt later made me kind of -_-, especially when the book acknowledges that withholding information always, ALWAYS, comes back to haunt you. But these are teeny tiny, I can’t even call them flaws, in this stupendous book. Read it!!

TW: abuse
This story is insanely beautiful. I love the bond between Redemption and Jam. It doesn't even need to be said they're best friends, you can just tell by their actions and the love they have for each other.
The reason I'm giving this a four stars and not a full 5 is because when the reveal about the who the monster was came, I wasn't really upset. We didn't spend enough time with the characters involved to really be mad. It was more of a told how important they were to the characters instead of really showing the importance of them.
I will definitely read from this author in the future because I feel like they can write a 5 star read for me.