We The Animals : Book Review


Book Review


Title: We The Animals
Author: Justin Torres
Genre: Fiction

We The Animals is a coming of age story of an unnamed narrator who grows up in Upstate New York with his brothers. The book is set to be inspired from the author's own life. 

In this book the narrator talks about sharing a close bond with his older brothers and growing up in poverty and hunger. He talks about his dysfunctional family, residing amidst instability, violence, identifying his differences from his family, establishing his individuality and sexual identity. 

An interesting aspect of the book is the point of view from which the story is told. The author uses the collective voice of 'we' in the initial few chapters and gradually shifts to first person and finally third person in the end. The writing is in vignettes and the tone depicts a raw honesty to it. The characters are all flawed and each one is trying to find an escape from reality.  In his chapters, the author brings a symbolic representation of their inner psyche and also touches upon several themes. 

We The Animals showcases the importance of finding your individuality and acceptance within yourself. Its powerful, poignant and heartbreaking. 

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