In October we read Pet by Akwaeke Emezi.
We had terrific discussions about the plot, symbolisms, allegories, and had lot of friendly arguments about the odd utopian/dystopian world of Lucille.
Akwaeke’s work is no stranger to our book club. We read Freshwater last year and it immediately made everyone’s (and I do mean EVERYONE’S) Favourite Book list. With that in mind, we were very excited and hopeful about Pet and whether Akwaeke would live up to the really high bar they had set for themself with Freshwater. Akwaeke surely lived up to their name of being thought-provoking, genre-defying, and rebellious in their sophomore novel, Pet.
We asked each Rebel Women Lit meetup to share their feedback on Pet and here’s a quick recap:
Overall, is the story and/or its characters easy or difficult to relate to?
“It’s a world I would want to live in but everything is flawed. It would be nice to live in a world where LGBT+ people, people of colour, neuro-divergent people etc. can feel safe. But it’s still a world where children aren’t believed and predators are protected, which is sad, but that part mirrors our reality. I wish they went into more details on what this ‘perfect’ society looks like.” - Gabrielle, Mandeville
“I didn’t so much relate to the characters, but I still feel warmly towards them. The moment I found most relatable was when Jam struggled to ‘see the unseen.’ ”- Akilah, Kingston
Mandeville Book Club Meet-Up
“I didn’t relate to any of the characters much except for Moss because I’ve been in a similar situation of being abused by the angel that was to protect us and not having anyone to talk to about it.” - Jaii, Montego-Bay
What do you think was Akwaeke’s message in the book? What ideas were they trying to get across?
“The need to critically reflect on the world, especially considering the limits of ‘perfection’” - Damali, Kingston
“I think they were speaking to a younger version of themself; they were trying to convey ideas of justice.” - Jodi-Ann, Kingston
“To remind us that forgetting and denying the past and trauma can create a new cycle.” - Jessica, Kingston
“I’m thinking that they want to expose our desires of a utopian society by asking us to truly consider the set-up. They are asking us to interrogate our ideas of justice and of what ‘perfection’ looks like” - Kristina, Kingston
What part of the story resonated with you the most?
“The scene where Jam stopped Pet from Killing Hibiscus by asking it to consider how effective that would be in the long run as well as how that would bring any peace or reconciliation for the victim, Moss. It resonated with me because it was a moment of reflection for me on how I perceive justice.” - Kristina, Kingston
“The tension with striving for a better world”- Damali, Kingston
Kingston Book Club Meet-Up
“I loved the world building, the characters and the task of figuring out what their names meant. I thought it was great that they tackled a serious issue in a way that kids would understand (who doesn’t like mysteries and fighting monsters?)” - Jaii, Montego-Bay
If Pet Got Made Into A Movie, Who Would You Cast?
BITTER:
Charlayne Woodard, Dominique Jackson, Angelica Ross or Lupita Nyong'o
ALOE:
Sterling K Brown, Winston Duke or Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
PET:
James Earl Jones or Viola Davis
REDEMPTION:
Asante Blackk, a young Dayo Okeniyi (lol), Ethan Herisse
JAM:
… [We all agreed that we need more black teen girls who are of trans experience in Hollywood!]
Final thoughts?
“I’d recommend this book to fantasy readers, especially (black, queer, neruodivergent, or Caribbean) looking for a good read.” - Gabrielle, Mandeville
“I really like their commitment to non-ableist language!” - Jodi-Ann, Kingston
“I'd recommend Pet to mostly pre-teens and teenagers. But I think there's value in adults reading it as well” - Kristina, Kingston
Thank you to everyone who came to our book club meetups for Pet by Akwaeke Emezi!
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