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Pet

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Pet

Written by: Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Christopher Myers
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About this listen

 National Book Award Finalist

Stonewall Book Award Winner

"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut...Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." (The New York Times)

The award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Death of Vivek Oji that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the truth when the world around you is in denial?

Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with the lesson that the city is safe for everyone. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature who some might call monstrous but, in reality, is anything but, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has emerged from one of her mother's paintings to hunt a true monster - and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. No one has encountered monsters in years, though, and Jam's quest to protect her best friend and uncover the truth is met with doubt and disbelief.

This award-winning novel from a rising-star author asks: What really makes a monster, and how do you save the world from something if no one will admit it exists?

Stonewall Honor Book

Walter Dean Myers Honor Book

"Like [Madeleine] L'Engle, Akwaeke Emezi asks questions of good and evil and agency, all wrapped up in the terrifying and glorious spectacle of fantastical theology." (NPR) Black Creators Fantasy Fiction Literature & Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy

What the critics say

“A unique science fiction tale.” –Essence

"Brilliant." –The Washington Post

"With great tenderness, Pet questions a society silenced by denial." –Observer

“By far the most striking of the [National Book Award] finalists is PET, a sinister morality tale by Akwaeke Emezi.” –The Wall Street Journal

“A riveting and timely work answering the questions about how you go about the world when the world around you is in denial.” –Out Magazine

"This soaring novel shoots for the stars and explodes the sky with its bold brilliance." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"A compelling, nuanced tale that fans of speculative horror will quickly devour." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A riveting and important read that couldn’t be more well timed to our society’s struggles with its own monsters." —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Jam is also notable as a Black, trans protagonist in this important narrative that teens will want to read to gain some perspective on the modern political environment.” —The Bulletin, Starred Review

"Emezi’s characters are diverse in race, physical ability and especially gender.... Readers might see in Jam’s surroundings a version of a world that they, like Jam, might choose to fight for." —BookPage, Starred Review

“A haunting and poetic work of speculative fiction.” —The Horn Book

All stars
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I used to say misguided things like “it’s so hard to choose a favourite book!” But I now know that to be cow poop. This is my favourite book. This book is the best of all books, all other books bow down to this book. READ THIS BOOK AND REJOICE because it will make your tiny little heart weep from being seen and heard and understood in a way it has never before — not even by yourself.

Read it immediately.

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"Forgetting is dangerous. Forgetting is how the monsters come back." --Akwaeke Emezi from Pet

Woah. I'm at a loss for words. I can't capture the intense importance of Akwaeke Emezi's book, Pet.

This is a beautiful and haunting story about community, justice, and the lengths people will go to keep loved one's safe.

Pet has left me reflective, both hardened and softened by the ending. I don't want to give anything away.

I've never read a book like this before. It's thrilling and completely fascinating. Creatures crawling out of paintings. Hunting monsters. Poly parents. A black trans protagonist whose transness doesn't really feature as a major plot point--just part of who she is. Rich descriptions, dimensional characters who I instantly felt emotionally invested in. Plot was absolutely eye opening and striking.

It's a relatively short read, but I keep pausing to think and contemplate, reflecting. It's really thought provoking and deeply facsinating.

The fantasy and the magical elements lend to this serious story. It furthers the message about monsters being unrecognizable and not taken seriously--like something born from fiction, something easily dismissed.

I'm reeling. Woah. Thank you so much for writing this, Akwaeke Emezi.

Review

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The narrator was perfect for this book. I was completely drawn in into this world. Akwaeke is such a detailed world creator who layers meanings into their imagery. I can’t wait to read more from them

Amazing world

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