Lisa Taddeo:
Animal
Fleeing New York after the man she was having an affair with commits suicide in front of her, Joan settles in California. She’s orchestrating a run-in with Alice, who has a mysterious connection with the tragedies of her past. Struggling with childhood and recent trauma, Joan is seeking comfort in revenge.
The Blurb: “Animal is a depiction of female rage at its rawest and a visceral exploration of the fallout from a male-dominated society.”
Animal has everything it needs to be a good book. Joan is an unreliable narrator, which would normally be compelling. Joan is fleeing a traumatic event, which should be relatable. The mystery surrounding her parent’s death and her connection with Alice is supposed to be an element that drives the story forward.
Writing this feels like a cop out; like I’m cutting corners, becoming morbidly lazy. This is a review for a book I didn’t even finish. I started reading Animal while I was on a streak of good books and I was really assuming it would continue. The novel is marketed as a feminist read, just like the last book I finished (Grown Ups) which I absolutely loved. I was even planning a follow-up article comparing the two “Feminism in Literature and Book Marketing”. Despite wasting a whole week trying to keep reading the book, I just couldn’t. I made it 200 pages in and I couldn’t force myself to finish it.
Based on the synopsis and blurb, I was thinking “Okay this is going to be savage; something like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” I was PMSing and craving kinship in my female rage. Animal was not it. It was so BORING. Even Bluejay, for all it’s terrible writing and gaping plot holes was a better read. It was at least entertaining in it’s horribleness. I made it 2/3 of the way through and NOTHING has happened. Nothing. At that point you don’t know the answer to any of the “Mysteries” in the novel:
What happened to Joan parents?
Who is Alice and how is she connected to Joan?
Who is Joan going to kill? (There is so much foreshadowing she is going to kill someone)
I think Taddeo was trying to have a big build up that leads to a big twist at the end where she reveals all the answers, but there is no tension building. I don’t even care to learn the answers if it means I have to drudge through one more paragraph of repetitive setup. Even moments in the book that should be shocking and have the reader on the edge of their seat, fell flat and were a chore to get through. At one point, Joan is being held at gunpoint by the daughter of the man who killed himself after having an affair with her, and it just feels like more filler rather than an emotionally charged confrontation. It’s fucking boring. The main character is in a life-threatening situation and I was bored.
Ugh. I just hate to waste my time.
DISCLAIMER: This was so fucking whiny and repetitive. I’ve been infected. Animal rotted my brain. I suck at writing now.