Filthy Animals Review

Review

An e-copy of the book has been provided by the publisher, Penguin Random House International, in exchange for an honest review.

“People did try to kill themselves—some of them succeeded and some of them did not.”

‘Filthy Animals’ is a remarkable story of people’s darkness, secrets, and vulnerability.

There is a strong allure to this book, especially with the substance that it is conveying—a raw and beautiful reality. However, the structure of the story seems to swerve towards a linear pattern that patronizes a single character instead of encapsulating a variety of characters in a story that is aimed in the essence that it wants to impart.

It becomes obvious after reading up to a certain point. And although the stories are targeted to different characters entirely, it didn’t feel like it. It felt more of a sequence that gave more of the previous character than of the new ones. Despite that, each story was brilliant, dark, and impactful.

“His body was magnificent. Edges and lines and clear definition. A thatch of pubic hair. His cock was uncut and of medium length, but very thick. Everything about him is proportional.”

Something that I did not expect from this book is its details. I knew that there will be some sort of sexual tensions between the characters—because is there ever not?—but I did not expect that to be in some form of a smutty text.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was impressed with how Brandon Taylor weaved his story. It breached the in-between of a novel that follows the stories of young adults but written in an adult fiction curve. The characters are broken yet their shadows bring with them a light. ‘Filthy Animals’ has an electric elegance that I know people will love and appreciate.

“That was the blessing of certain childhoods. The illusion of your invincibility. Your safety. Some people didn’t know the danger they were in until years later, looking back. That was a kind of blessing, too, in a way. The ignorance of your own peril.”