We the Animals

We the Animals (2011) is the debut novel by the 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 1980's. The youngest brother, who is the protagonist, 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 up-state New York.^[2]

Plot

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 and married, have an abusive 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 is 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 siblings after which he is taken to a mental institution and he loses contact with his family.

Reception

We the Animals received generally positive reviews, including warm notices from The New York Times and Kirkus Reviews^[3][4] and praise from such novelists and writers as Michael Cunningham, Dorothy Allison and Paul Harding.^[5] It was nominated for a Publishing Triangle Award, an NAACP Image Award, and won an Indies Choice Book Award.

References