I am not very good at articulating my feelings and thoughts about books, which is why you see very few reviews from me, but I am trying for this book. “Pet” by @azemezi is hard hitting and powerful. From the first pages the book communicated it’s intent and message directly to my gut—that sort of hard hitting. The story was short and had a dream/myth like feel to it, but that feel translated easily to the reality we are living in now—a reality of fear and monsters. There will always be monsters, but more importantly there will always be hope and compassion. Jam, my hero, is the champion of both hope and compassion, and to show the true value of both, she fights her self-doubt and trepidation.


I think everyone should read this. ( )

3.5 stars
Would have rated higher because it was a unique and thought provoking novel, I just wish there was more detail and that it was longer. Great content, storyline, and inclusive storytelling, just not my style of writing. ( )

Emezi's thought-provoking novel redefines the boundaries of reality and imagination. Set in a utopian world seemingly devoid of evil, the story follows Jam, a selectively mute transgender girl, who discovers a mysterious creature named Pet hidden in her mother's painting. In the town of Lucille, where Jam lives, "monsters", or people who abuse others, have been rooted out in a revolution led by "angels", revered members of the community, however with Pet's help Jam learns this may not be entirely true. The two embark on a journey to hunt a dangerous monster that is roaming her best friend Redemption's house. Emezi's work is genre-bending and spell-binding, weaving together lush imagery and African diasporic languages to provide an affirming and inclusive narrative that proves "monster don't look like anything", ultimately exploring themes of identity, justice, and the power of comforting uncomfortable truths.

A strange, quick, impactful story full of wonderful representation for so many diverse identities. The dangers of thinking your family/community is immune from monsters, and the need to always have your eyes of open. ( )

Though an extremely short 200 pages, Pet managed to blow me away, the beauty of the story working on multiple levels.

Let's start with the plot: Jam is everything a parent wants their teenager to be: sweet, kind, inquisitive, and naive in the way of someone who has never truly had to face hardship. Jam lives with her parents, paramedic Aloe and painter Bitter, in Lucille, a town so loosely drawn that could be anywhere in the world. Jam is Black, trans, and selectively mute, using sign language to communicate - but the world she lives in is very different from ours. Jam is safe, happy, and healthy, and so is everybody else she knows, because before she was born, the avenging angel of revolution wiped the monsters from her town.

After Bitter finishes her latest painting, Jam sneaks up to her art studio to catch a glimpse of the finished work. However, Jam falls, cutting herself and spilling her blood on the painting. And thus Jam has accidentally summoned a large, inhuman beast named 'Pet' who claims to be there to hunt a monster at the house of Jam's best friend Redemption.

I didn't know what to expect with this story and I was so delightfully surprised that it was so thoughtful, clever, and bright. Despite being a middle grade book, I think it can be read as an adult fiction as well because though Jam and Redemption are young and discovering monsters for the first time, adults equally need to be reminded of the things they ignore.

I absolutely loved Jam. She's a great protagonist, filled with desire and feeling, and I loved her relationships with her parents, as well as with her best friend Redemption. And, more than anything, I liked the conceit that even in the most utopian of worlds, we still need to be careful, to see beyond what is on the surface. ( )