Book review: Some Kind of Animal

Some Kind of Animal
by Maria Romasco-Moore
Pub Date 04 Aug 2020
read courtesy of Netgalley.com

I so so SO want to give this book 5 stars, but one thing keeps me from doing it: I'm not a prude by any means, but when a pastor curses like a sailor in front of a 9th grader, the story loses a star. ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ I really regret it; it's a fantastic book, but the gratuitous extreme foul language is shock value and not characterization.

Regardless, I loved this book. It was so fresh; it told a new story and kept me engaged the whole way through. Part bildungsroman, part adventure, part suspense, part horror, it tells the story of a multi-generational dysfunctional family. The main character, Jo, is one of the most believable, age-appropriate characterizations I've ever read. Hearing the story from her point-of-view adds to the vividly impaired and maladaptive family life that moves the story forward.

There's something about the book that reminds me of The Bad Seed by William March. The reader doesn't know who is trustworthy, and that creates a lovely tension. The twist at the end was so well set up that I didn't expect it; does that make sense? It was hidden in plain sight.

I'm going to quote something from the book that doesn't give anything away but demonstrates the skillful characterization:

Savannah would absolutely lose her shit if I told her that I'd slept over at some guy's place.  That he was offering me coffee now. It seems like a very grown-up thing. To be offered coffee in the morning by a stranger. 

That resonated with me as something a 9th grader would absolutely feel.

The title itself is worthy of an entire discussion. Bravo. But $%FYU^^%F.