We the Animals
 First edition | |
| Author | Justin Torres |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Bildungsroman |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Publication date | September 2, 2011 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), audiobook, ebook |
| Pages | 144 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-0-547-57672-5 (hardcover 1st ed.) |
| OCLC | 694830162 |
| 813/.6 | |
We the Animals (2011) is the debut novel by American author Justin Torres. It is a bildungsroman about three wild brothers of white and Puerto Rican parentage who live a rough and tumble childhood in rural upstate New York during the 1980s. The youngest brother, protagonist of the story, eventually breaks away from the rest of the family.[1]
The novel is semi-autobiographical and is loosely based on Torres's own life growing up in upstate New York.[2]
Plot
[edit]The young, unnamed narrator, a boy, grows up in a tight-knit family with two older brothers, Manny and Joel. His parents, who were teenagers when the boys were conceived, have an abusive and unhappy marriage but still feel love for each other.
In a series of vignettes, the narrator describes how his parents struggle to keep the family afloat and how his father, and eventually his brothers, are abusive towards his mother who is deeply unhappy and longs for a better life.
As the narrator grows up, he senses a difference between himself and his brothers, which is partially caused by his love of literature and partially caused by the fact that he is gay. After his parents discover his journal, which is filled with erotic imaginings and fantasies, the narrator lashes out, violently attacking his parents and sibling, after which he is committed to a psychiatric ward.
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]We the Animals received generally positive reviews, including warm notices from The New York Times and Kirkus Reviews,[3][4] and praise from novelists and writers like Michael Cunningham, Dorothy Allison and Paul Harding.[5]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | ALA Rainbow Book List | Young Adult Fiction | Selection | [6] |
| Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence | Fiction | Longlisted | [7] | |
| First Novelist Award | — | Won | [8] | |
| Indies Choice Book Award | Debut Author | Honor Book | [citation needed] | |
| NAACP Image Awards | Debut Author | Finalist | [9] | |
| Publishing Triangle Awards | Edmund White Award | Finalist | [10] |
Influence
[edit]Fatimah Asghar acknowledges We the Animals as an influence in her novel When We Were Sisters.[11]
Film adaptation
[edit]A film adaptation of We the Animals, directed by Jeremiah Zagar, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.[12]
References
[edit]
- ^ Torres, Justin (May 19, 2024). We the Animals. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0547576725.
- ^ Ortiz, Sara (August 19, 2011). "INTERVIEW: Justin Torres, author of "We the Animals"". Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "We the Animals". Kirkus Reviews. July 20, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (September 1, 2011). "Grasping the Secrets of Being an Adult". The New York Times. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "We the Animals". Powell's Books. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "2012 Rainbow Book List « Rainbow Book List". Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ "2012 Winners | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence". www.ala.org. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ "VCU Cabell First Novelist Award". firstnovelist.vcu.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ Allin, Olivia. "2012 Image Winners". ABC7. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ^ "The Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction". The Publishing Triangle. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ Flattery, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Which Is More Terrifying: Nature or Other People?". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 20, 2018). "'We the Animals': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2018.