This thin book reads less like a novel than it does a prose poem. A bit disjointed and chopped, but lyrical overall. I appreciate the exploration of language the writer attempts, the way he poetically and succinctly presents scenes and characters. But the one interesting thing I found about this book is how it felt as if it suddenly changed from a novel to an autobiography. Of course, this is speculation on my part, but when the main character reaches adulthood, the entire tone of the story seemed to morph into another animal altogether. It had less a feeling of fiction and more that of a memoir. Honestly, it was jarring. It became, at that point, less likable somehow. An objectivity was violated. An initial trust between the writer and his reader was broken.Still, I would mildly recommend WE THE ANIMALS to anyone who appreciates an adventurous use of language and story telling. It's unconventional and worth a look. Heartbreakingly sad and beautifully written. In hindsight probably not the best book to read at the holidays, but the prose is stunning and you just keep wishing for happiness for these characters. I did see parallels between it and The House on Mango St, which I read earlier this year. It might have been interesting to read them side-by-side, as in some ways this felt like the evolution from Cisnero's novel.
What do You think about We The Animals (2011)?
Nice to see a family member acknowledged in a well-wrought, elliptical, hypnagogic Bildungsroman
—klanilala
SIX WORD REVIEW: A miniminalist stir into rocky childhood.
—katie
Read March 2013. 3/5. Ending kinda fizzled.
—chey647
