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Review

The novella We the Animals by Justin Torres drives the reader compellingly onward to its very strong conclusion. Narrated by the unnamed youngest brother of a Puerto Rican family, it describes in very brief chapters the interrelationship between him, his two older brothers Manny and Joel, and their parents. His mother (“Ma” or “Mami”) is loving but neurotic. His physically powerful father (“Paps”) can also be loving but he is often physically (and it is hinted, sexually) abusive and unpredictable. Living in a semi-rural area of upstate New York they all seem cut off from their natural roots, which may be a major cause of their dysfunctional family dynamic. The chronology is often vague but it seems to begin when the narrator is quite young and ends when he is perhaps a teenager. Graphically written, in what could almost be construed as blank verse in some sections, it can easily be read in a single sitting. The seemingly very autobiographical narrator has a secret that is revealed at the very end, but with a careful reading it is apparent what it is going to be. One of the pleasures of this book is that much can be inferred between the lines, but the lines themselves are well worth reading. We look forward to future impressive writing from Justin Torres.

 -- Roy Liebman