I know that I said previously that I was going to stay away from YA for a bit, but I'd been reading so much about this book that when my library got it, I decided to read it. I love the idea of this book, I love the fact that a book like this was published and so well received. What I did not love unfortunately, was this book. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite for me. However, I do believe the intended audience will like it.
(Make Me a World, 2019)
Pet is a story of angels and monsters.
Pet is the story of hidden danger and danger that goes unnoticed because people have stopped looking and stopped believing that danger exists. It's a story about what happens in a utopian society that believes there are no such things as monsters anymore.
In the safe world of Lucille (name of the place, not a character), Jam (a young girl) has been wrapped in this sense of safety her entire life. It has allowed her to exist peacefully despite traits that in our world would cause immense struggle. However, Jam is curious about angels and monsters. Perhaps because she is curious, Jam discovers that the safety she exists in might not be as perfect as she has been told.
This is a story that tends to reduce everything to allegory. It serves as a warning to readers not to forget the struggles of the past, the evils of the past, and to be ever vigilant to prevent the worst of history from repeating itself. The trade-off with allegory however is that it simplifies the very intense and important issues it is addressing. I felt as though this were the case in Pet. For me personally, I found it lacking the kind of intensity, lyricism, and imagery that I typically crave. However, for the intended audience (for this book, I'd say a mature 11 and up), I think the allegory is effective, making this a very beneficial book for young readers.
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