Pet, Akwaeke Emezi
Pet, Akwaeke Emezi
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Pet

Author: Akwaeke Emezi

Narrator: Christopher Myers

Unabridged: 5 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/10/2019

Synopsis

National Book Award Finalist

Stonewall Book Award Winner

"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut...Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." (The New York Times)

The award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Death of Vivek Oji that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the truth when the world around you is in denial?

Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look?

There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with the lesson that the city is safe for everyone. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature who some might call monstrous but, in reality, is anything but, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has emerged from one of her mother's paintings to hunt a true monster - and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. No one has encountered monsters in years, though, and Jam's quest to protect her best friend and uncover the truth is met with doubt and disbelief. 

This award-winning novel from a rising-star author asks: What really makes a monster, and how do you save the world from something if no one will admit it exists? 

Stonewall Honor Book

Walter Dean Myers Honor Book

"Like [Madeleine] L'Engle, Akwaeke Emezi asks questions of good and evil and agency, all wrapped up in the terrifying and glorious spectacle of fantastical theology." (NPR)

About The Author

Akwaeke Emezi makes their young adult debut with Pet on the inaugural Make Me a World list. An honoree on the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" list, a long-list nominee for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and a short-list nominee for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize, Akwaeke continues to receive accolades for their adult debut, Freshwater. The autobiographical novel also received rave reviews from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and the Los Angeles Times, among others, as well as starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist. Their sophomore adult novel, The Death of Vivek Oji, is forthcoming in 2020 from Riverhead.Learn more about Akwaeke at Akwaeke.com or on Twitter at @azemezi.

Reviews

Goodreads review by The Artisan Geek on October 03, 2019

------------------VIDEO REVIEW------------------ 15/9/19 My chest is heavy, my throat is rough and my eyes are tearing. What a story, I can't believe it's over! I don't think I have ever been so upset for a story to finish. Emezi's writing is nothing less than remarkable and I need more - Freshwater i......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on September 22, 2020

3.5 stars, but could definitely be enjoyed by other readers. This is a charming and darkly whimsical story about a Black transgender girl who becomes friends with a mysterious creature. The utopian city and its “extinct” monsters is an intriguing yet simple idea that masks more complex meanings. I t......more

Goodreads review by karen on September 10, 2019

NOW AVAILABLE!!! All knowledge is good knowledge, Pet said. I don’t know if that’s true, Jam thought back. It doesn’t feel true right now. Truth doesn’t care if it feels true or not. It is true nonetheless. in the world of books and publishing, some titles are marketed as YA with the expectation that t......more

Goodreads review by Cece on September 25, 2019

First, some notes on representation. ➾Black, trans girl lead who is selectively verbal and uses sign language frequently ➾Entirely black cast ➾Jam's best friend has three parents (they are in a polyamorous relationship and one of the parents uses they/them pronouns) Now, onto the book itself. For a book......more

Goodreads review by Kai on August 22, 2019

when a highly awaited book actually exceeds my expectations all I wanna do is cry and give a sacrificial offering to whatever gods held its fate in their hands......more

Quotes

“A unique science fiction tale.” –Essence

"Brilliant." –The Washington Post

"With great tenderness, Pet questions a society silenced by denial." –Observer

“By far the most striking of the [National Book Award] finalists is PET, a sinister morality tale by Akwaeke Emezi.”  –The Wall Street Journal

“A riveting and timely work answering the questions about how you go about the world when the world around you is in denial.” –Out Magazine

"This soaring novel shoots for the stars and explodes the sky with its bold brilliance." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"A compelling, nuanced tale that fans of speculative horror will quickly devour." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"A riveting and important read that couldn’t be more well timed to our society’s struggles with its own monsters." —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“Jam is also notable as a Black, trans protagonist in this important narrative that teens will want to read to gain some perspective on the modern political environment.” —The Bulletin, Starred Review

"Emezi’s characters are diverse in race, physical ability and especially gender.... Readers might see in Jam’s surroundings a version of a world that they, like Jam, might choose to fight for." —BookPage, Starred Review

“A haunting and poetic work of speculative fiction.” —The Horn Book

Awards

  • Maine Student Book Award
  • National Book Award for Young People's Literature
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