 First edition (US) | |
| Author | Akwaeke Emezi |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Shyama Golden |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Language | English |
| Genre | fantasy, young adult, speculative fiction |
| Publisher | Make Me A World (US) Faber & Faber (UK) |
Publication date | 2019 |
| Pages | 208 |
| ISBN | 978-0-525-64707-2 |
| Followed by | Bitter (novel) |
Pet is a 2019 young adult fantasy/speculative fiction novel by Nigerian non-binary author Akwaeke Emezi. It was followed by a prequel Bitter , released in 2022.
With Pet, Emezi focused on writing the book they wanted to read while they were growing up. To them, including a Black trans girl character who was supported by her parents and community — and who goes on adventures but is not in serious danger — was particularly important. [1]
Lucille, the setting of the novel, was inspired by settings that Toni Morrison used in her fiction. [2] The town's creed ("We are each other’s harvest. We are each other’s business. We are each other’s magnitude and bond") is a quote from Gwendolyn Brooks' ode to Paul Robeson. [3]
Jam is a teen girl living in Lucille, a town in the US. Lucille is a type of utopia; its official historical record saw angels defeating monsters. In Lucille, there are no more monsters. Or so everyone believes. One day, Jam trips and falls onto her mother's painting (a type of assemblage with sharp objects incorporated within.) Jam's blood releases the creature that her mother painted: Pet. Pet informs Jam that it is here to hunt a monster living in Lucille. [4] [5] [6]
In an interview with Teen Vogue about the creation of the novel, Emezi noted that the contrast between growing up in Nigeria and spending time in the USA greatly influenced a major theme of the novel:
"But one of the things that I liked about growing up back home [in Nigeria] is that everyone's very blatant about what's happening. Like when the government's trying to kill you, the government's trying to kill you. Pet, so far, is my most American book, it's set in America, it's about America. Here, people aren’t really acknowledging what was happening around us, they’re not really looking directly at things." [2]
The novel also deals with child sexual abuse, trust in the justice system, ideas around utopia and friendship, and bucking black and white thinking about evil. [2] [9] Communication styles are of particular importance in the novel, as well, as Jam is selectively nonverbal. [8] [9]
Jam communicates in several different ways throughout the novel, from verbally to non-verbal signing, to mental communication. These are presented in different textual formats in the novel. [4]
Pet was on the inaugural publication list for the Make Me a World imprint of Penguin Random House, an effort led by children's author Christopher Myers. The imprint, focused on publishing diverse books, launched in fall 2019. [10] [1]
The novel was published by Faber & Faber in the UK, and by Farafina in Nigeria. [6]
In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews noted "this soaring novel shoots for the stars and explodes the sky with its bold brilliance." [3] In a starred review at Publishers Weekly , the reviewer said "Emezi’s direct but tacit story of injustice, unconditional acceptance, and the evil perpetuated by humankind forms a compelling, nuanced tale that fans of speculative horror will quickly devour." [8] The Horn Book Magazine called Pet "a haunting and poetic work of speculative fiction." [11]
In a review for The New York Times , author Ibi Zoboi wrote that "Emezi, who is Nigerian, conjures the African oral tradition with sweeping metaphors folded into an almost folkloric rendering of some of humanity’s harshest truths." [7]
Pet was a finalist for the 2019 National Book Awards for Young People's Literature [12] and 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, [13] [14] as well as a Stonewall Book Award for Children's & Young Adult literature honor book. [15] The American Library Association also included it on their 2020 Amelia Bloomer Book List. [16]
Pet was named to Time magazine's list of 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. [17] The New York Times named Pet one of the 25 best children's books of 2019. [18]
A pet is an animal kept primarily for company, protection or entertainment.
Umuahia is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia is indigenously Igbo.
An ọgbanje is a term in Odinani for what was thought to be an evil spirit that would deliberately plague a family with misfortune. Belief in ọgbanje in Igboland is not as strong as it once was, although there are still some believers.
The Women's Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes. It is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. A sister prize, the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, was launched in 2023.
Ibi Aanu Zoboi is a Haitian-American author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her young adult novel American Street, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young Adult's Literature in 2017.
C. B. Lee is a Chinese-Vietnamese-American author based out of Los Angeles, California. They are the author of young adult fiction, best known for their Sidekick Squad series, which follows a quartet of teenagers in a near future world of superheroes and supervillains.
Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and video artist, best known for their novels Freshwater, Pet, and their New York Times bestselling novel The Death of Vivek Oji. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction, romance, memoir and poetry for both young adults and adults with mostly LGBT themes. Their work has earned them several awards and nominations including the Otherwise Award and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2021, Time featured them as a Next Generation Leader.
Yagazie Emezi is a Nigerian artist and self-taught independent photojournalist based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Kacen Callender is a Saint Thomian author of children's fiction and fantasy, best known for their Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award—winning middle grade debut Hurricane Child. Their fantasy novel, Queen of the Conquered, is the 2020 winner of the World Fantasy Award and King and the Dragonflies won the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Children's / Young Adult Literature.
Torrey Peters is an American author. Her debut novel, Detransition, Baby, has received mainstream and critical success. The novel was nominated for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Freshwater is a 2018 autobiographical fiction novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. Emezi's debut novel, it tells the story of Ada, a girl with multiple ogbanje dwelling inside her. A TV series based on the novel is under development by FX.
The Death of Vivek Oji is a 2020 fiction novel by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. It was published on 4 August 2020 by Riverhead books, it narrates the life of Vivek Oji until his death. It is Emezi's second adult novel after Freshwater and the book received critical attention and was an instant New York Times best seller.
These Ghosts are Family is a historical fiction novel by Maisy Card, published March 3, 2020 by Simon & Schuster.
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir is a 2021 memoir written by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. It was first published in 2021 by Riverhead Books in the United States and Faber and Faber in the United Kingdom.
Punching the Air is a young adult novel-in-verse by Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam, published September 1, 2020 by Balzer + Bray.
Bitter is a young adult novel written by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi and published by Knopf on February 15, 2022. A prequel to Emezi's Pet, Bitter tells the story of a Black teenage girl living in a city troubled by constant protests and violence.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a 2022 romance novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. It is Emezi's first romance novel, third adult novel and it follows Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian American visual artist as she heals from the trauma of widowhood and finds new love.
Little Rot is a 2024 novel written by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. This novel is about five friends who get caught in a mess of sex, lies, and corruption.