Animal World by Joseph Hirsch is a pulp noir-like novel that captures the texture and feeling of 1970s breakout American crime films. Themes of the novel have been expanded to include contemporary aspects found within modern-day society, including gritty descriptions of what goes on for those within a world of people scratching and gnawing to just survive, and where predators are everywhere, and sometimes those one trusts the most.

Writing a review of this novel is difficult because for some, the mere description of characters may turn them away from reading the novel instead of enjoying a gritty and well-crafted dark novel of pulp.

While the novel does involve adult themes, it is not unnecessarily graphic in descriptions and actually contains passages of restraint rather than prurient titillation.

Animal World follows Shasta and Estie, two pre-op transsexual prostitutes working the streets along with each other while dreaming of the day when they can complete their transformation.

Shasta, while previously in prison, met Tizoc, a potentially violent drug dealer. While incarcerated, the two became a couple after he became enamored with her. Though while in prison, such a relationship was tolerated, out on the mean streets of urban America, such a prohibited romance is a different story and must be carefully hidden from others.

Tizoc has dreams of leaving the drug world with his own fleet of food trucks and believes that, through his latest venture, not only can his own transformation happen, but also usher in the completion of both Shasta’s and Estie’s own dreams, if only they will trust him.

The novel then continues with all three trying to escape their past in different ways until an ending that is both bittersweet and touching, but also with pain and promise.

Taken as a whole, Animal World is an enthralling and gritty crime noir novel with a bit of emotional punch and is highly recommended to those with interests in darker fiction and readers of writers like Paul Heatley and his Motel series.

Animal World was provided by Netgalley upon the promise of a fair review.