Source of book: NetGalley (thank you!)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

This was a very much a curate’s egg book for me. Good in parts.

Which is to say, it’s about sex and death, and while I was 100% here for everything it had to say about death, I bounced hard off the sex stuff. Particularly the BDSM orientated sex stuff because, if nothing else, it felt mean-spirited, badly researched, and included primarily for shock value, rather than because the author had anything meaningful about to say about BDSM as either a practice or a subculture.

Also—and forgive me a bit of personal bitterness here—but it’s increasingly bugging the shite out of me that women’s-fiction adjacent litfic (I’m also side-eying Sally Rooney here) gains endless credibility for centralising toxic sexual dynamics. Whereas an entire genre gets pissed on for depicting healthy, consent-driven relationships. Gah.

Anyway that’s not this book’s fault, although this book is part of the problem. The heroine, Amelia, works for her family’s funeral parlour, preparing the dead for, err, display. To deal with the thoughts and emotions such awareness of death and the body stir up, she spends her evenings seeking catharsis in anonymous sex. Then her mother dies and her own grief becomes too much to handle: fleeing from the funeral, she goes to stay with her biological father in Tasmania and randomly plunges into the BDSM scene because blah blah bodies blah blah emotions blah blah external versus inner pain.

On the positive side, while I’m in no position to judge the accuracy of the body preparation material, it was super fascinating, and I really appreciated the family dynamics (Amelia’s brother, for example, is just incidentally in a throuple which is presented on-page as positive and unremarkable) and the thoughts about death and grief and mourning as private versus social act.

But Jesus Christ the BDSM. Now listen I’m not putting myself forward as some kind of apologist for or defender of the Scene because, like any community of ultimately disconnected people, it has its prejudices and its toxicities and its deep-seated fucking problems. I am, frankly, not a fan. BUT the fact remains that the way the is book uses BDSM as a reflection of the heroine’s damaged emotional state is all kinds of fucked up. There are definitely some tropes that rang, err, scene-authentic like the red flag guy who is all like “I try to avoid aftercare as much as possible as it kind of impacts on the experience for me” and the other guy who is like “I don’t believe in safe words, I believe in intuition”. But everything else was just, like, perilously close to deranged—there’s the fact a guy literally draws blood with a bullwhip in a club setting and the entire place doesn’t immediately lose its shit or the fact she’s thrown into an actual live scene after about ten minutes of conversation about doming with the club owner. Or for that matter that, after she fucks up the domme scene because she’s been given no training, support or actual instructions (and is clearly in the middle of a nervous breakdown) they tell her she should probably sub again, even though one of the other dommes is pretty open about the fact subbing sucks (fun fact: obviously subbing sucks if you’re NOT A SUB). Or, indeed, should we talk about the fact that there is no monitoring at any point during either private or public club scenes, apart from a random bouncer who comments “It was obviously a fear scene” when the heroine is visibly traumatised.

And the thing is, it’s not so much the “inauthenticity” that bothers me. I’m genuinely not sitting here being “inaccurately depicted, according to my subject understanding, the logistics of BDMS clubs – 1 STAR”. And I’m definitely not saying abusive situations are not rife in kink, as they are rife in life, but I think the idea that abuse is, err, inherent to BDSM *because* it’s BDSM is fucked all the way up. Especially when the BDSM sections of the book are set up specifically to entrap the heroine in abusive situations and to present kink itself in the most grotesque and outlandish light possible.

To put it another way, the way New Animal presents BDSM is sort of the equivalent of that Mazes and Monsters starring Tom Hanks where some young people lose their grip on reality due to playing too much D&D. The problem there is not that the portrayal of D&D is inaccurate so much as the movie is using its own limited understanding of D&D to tell a story that has nothing to D&D, isn’t for people who are into D&D, and is, instead, pandering to an audience who want to feel justified in their belief that D&D is probably a bit weird and, y’know, could even be dangerous in some sort of way.

This is cheap and it doesn’t thrill me. And I don't care how insightful and interesting you've been about death alongside.

Wow I did not expect to find myself on the verge of tears after finishing this book!

New Animal is so many things at once. A fascinating look at the funeral care industry (I learned so much!), a depiction of BDSM (I also learned so much!) and the thread of grief running throughout.

This book had some of the best descriptions of p pop parent-child relationships I’ve ever read, as Amelia, who works at her family’s funeral directors, deals with the death of her mother.

This book is fascinating and brilliant and heart breaking. I read it over a weekend and just wish it had been longer.

"But your body. Your beautiful, beautiful body. It clings to you through it"

New Animal is the debut novel by Ella Baxter, an Australian sculptor and writer.

This novel follows Amelia Aurelia, a makeup artist at her families funeral home. Throughout the course of the book she deals with grief, sexual awakening, family reunions, and even delves into the world of BDSM.

Amelia is a first person narrator, and I didn't fully connect with her voice at any point. She wasn't relatable to me, and I found her quite cold. Which is odd, because I WAS a makeup artist who liked casual sex - much like her.

The story itself is quite slow, not in a bad way, but I do feel as if there is no real climax. Obviously that's fine, and it's a technique employed by a lot of our modern day authors (Sally Rooney being one I can think of)

The themes of family through the novel were certainly interesting, and probably the thing that I enjoyed the most.

I would recommend this novel to fans of Sally Rooney, but I would say a similiar novel that I enjoyed more was "A very nice girl" but Imogen Crimp (also coming out next year, from a debut author)

It felt very brief, and by brief I mean that it dragged but at the same time very little actually seems to happen and the ending Is so jarring.

All in all - a 3 stars, beautiful writing, very comical ( which is hard to convey in a book like this) , just I felt that it lacked true depth

Thank you to NetGalley and Allen and Urwin for my ARC - all opinions are my own and I really enjoyed reading this book and reviewing it!

Amelia Aurelia is a cosmetic mortician who loves her job; she communes with death, sees the beauty in it, and helps people with their grief. In her personal life, though, Amelia is a little less assured, falling into half-night-stands, using sex as a way to turn off her mind. When tragedy strikes her family - suddenly, with breathtaking cruelty - Amelia’s desire to separate head and body hits new heights.

I saw this described in a few as “sad girl fic”, a definition I intend to shamelessly use forever. As a self-proclaimed sad girl, this Australian author’s debut impressed me a lot. It’s very short, designed to be read in big gulps, and ties together tragedy and comedy in perceptive and heartrending ways. It’s easy to fall in love with Amelia in all her chaotic glory - she’s so deeply taken with her job, the earnest quality of it is incredibly endearing.

That's why the tragic turn this story takes is so devastating. I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach reading it - it wasn’t that I didn’t expect it, as such, but the depiction of grief is just so raw that I found myself flattened by it, and even had to put the book down for a day or two. Baxter’s skill here is evident, and she fearlessly takes the reader into this world of grief and pain. Amelia’s grief is all-consuming; she tells others that she is not coping on a routine basis - but the rest of her life is still there too, and she has to cope with that. Her family are mostly side characters in this novel, with the exception of her two dads, and I would have loved to have seen more of them, but I understand why we didn’t. Grief can be tunnel vision, narrowed down so it’s just you and this absence, and Baxter captured this so well.

I haven’t even mentioned the kink elements of this book which will no doubt be the most-talked about ones when the book is released next year. It was intense, raw, and a little heartbreaking, though it’s also a depiction of a community where consent and communication come first, a far cry from any 50 Shades-type messiness. It wasn’t my favourite element of the book but it was compelling, and propelled the plot forward.
New Animal deserves to be pressed into the hands of many next year when it’s released. A moving depiction of grief and an excellent portrait of a young woman at a crossroads, it’s clever, fiery and addictive.

A short novel about a young woman who works as a make-up artist in the funeral parlour run by her family. After the death of a close family member she flies to Tasmania to see her biological father and starts exploring kink and BDSM as a means of offsetting her grief.
The subject matter of the book does not make it an easy read- it is constantly confronting and leaning in to difficult subject matter. Though, as it does probe subject matter would trigger all sorts of trigger warnings it does so with really lovely writing- crystal clear, unfussy prose, great characterisation and there are moments that are really beautiful, others that are very funny.
I think it's obvious, just from the premise that this is a marmite book. But, if you manage not to be triggered by the subject matter, there is a lot to be discovered in it.

Whilst the book description sounded promising the delivery just wasn't for me.
I only read the first quarter before deciding that life is just too short.

It failed to hold my interest and was just bizarre at times (and I didn't even reach the sex parts) some sentences just left me thinking wtf?

Maybe I'm just not the target audience.

Wow. This book is genuis. Where do I begin? Clever, funny, hard hitting, outrageous, angry... I could go on. Some scenes are quite shocking but it works. Everything in this book works. I was sceptical about the mix of grief and (lots of) sex but, like I said, it worked. And it's a debut!!

I am uncertain how to review this debut novel! The opening chapter of this book allows the reader an insight of what to expect. I requested this book to venture outside my comfort zone and boy, certainly it did! Nevertheless, I finished the book but it was not for me. I struggled with vocabulary and some content and found myself switching off at times. Grief is not the same for everyone and I could not connect to Amelia's way of dealing with her grief. The writing is witty (sometimes you need that in death!) and sad at times. This novel is a raw, uncomfortable read. The main character, Amelia was alien to me. I obviously don't get out much!

This is a novel about bereavement, grief, sex and family with emotions thrown in.

I give a 3 star rating only because I struggled with this book

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS NOVEL FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. MY COMMENTS ARE MY OWN.

Very much starts like something for those that like 6 Feet Under. It is a bold book steeped at times in caricature. Amelia works at the family undertakers. She is very sassy and quirky. Sex is an intense outlet for her to cope with the grief and loss of Daniel.

It is quite different in its approach to grief, loss and coping. Punchy and short, it is likely not quite anything read before. There is a balance of humour, albeit ultimately is of a dark quality. Death is discussed in the blatant, pragmatic style of someone that is immersed in it. Bit of a whirlwind read.

Amelia starts to dabble in BDSM as a means to cope with further grief. It is however wrapped in confusion, guilt, naiveté, which results in some humiliation, new insights and new interpersonal connections. This part of the book won’t be for everyone. The acts in themselves don’t entirely do what she needed, although some closure amidst family is reached. Amelia is a likeable character that is much conflicted and confused. As she attempts to make sense of her world, and as you find yourself caring for her, it would have been good to read an epilogue.

New Animal is an incredible book that I can't wait for everyone to read!
I read this book in one sitting, and it shocked me and made me incredibly sad. Books that give us such strong reactions are truly rare.

Ella Baxter’s New Animal is a shockingly powerful debut novel. It is a raw and unflinching look at what it is to grieve. It is bold and it is shocking. You can feel the grief of Baxter’s protagonist Amelia positively oozing off of the pages, it is that palpable.

This is not a book for the faint hearted, the grief is raw and it is tied up with a young woman’s abuse of her own body as she seeks escape through the extremes of sex. But it is also a novel that is so intrinsically about love, after all to feel the depth of grief that Amelia is feeling you must have first felt deep love.

New Animal centres on Amelia who works at her families mortuary where she is the make up artist to the deceased. At the offset Amelia seeks to find solace, and escape through casual sex with people she meets online. She is searching for oblivion in the pursuit if becoming a ‘new animal’. But soon Amelia is faced with a devastating loss that sends her absolutely spiralling and unable to cope. She struggles to cope with the discord between her mind and body, seeking to annihilate both.

The way Baxter describes Amelia’s work and reverence towards her clients is simply beautiful. Without giving anything away, the way she dealt with her final client, and the realisations it led her to had me in floods of tears. Early on Amelia explains the beauty of working with the deceased and that they ‘are so beautiful but only because they are so emptied of worry’. Such deep and profound insights and musings are found throughout New Animal and really go to showcase what an exceptional piece of writing this is.

This is a book that may make you feel uncomfortable and may be triggering for some, but given it’s content I don’t think it could be any other way. It’s certainly a very striking debut that will make you feel as well as think.

So so close to a 5 star review, but I had to drop it down to 4.75. The beginning and the end are just perfect. However the middle of the book was missing something that I just can't put my finger on. It almost felt a little rushed, although that would fit with the anxiety and grief featured heavily in the story. Overall though a touching read that was oh so sad at times... but that sadness was necessary. As someone who is still going through the grieving process this story really touched a nerve, but also opened my eyes a little too.

Thank-you to the author, Ella Baxter, Publisher Pan Macmillan Picador and Netgalley for the ARC for review.

A strange, darkly comic and quirky novel about a young woman who works at her family's funeral parlour and eventually has to cope with her own grief when her mother dies. This was an entertaining read (surprising considering the bleak subject matter) but I liked the voice of the narrator and enjoyed reading about her unusual work and family life. Amelia tries to escape her grief in a number of ways including an attempt to lose herself in BDSM, resulting in awkward and uncomfortable moments and these were well written, but in a novel this short, left little breathing room for a fully satisfying resolution.

Thanks to Picador and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a fair review.

a really raw, intense, visceral read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The contrast of the warmth and love from her family, and the coldness in her relationships was great.

Well written, original, funny and moving. Hilarious and surreal depictions of kink culture which start off completely (horribly) realistic and slowly descend into utter bizarreness - although perhaps they do it differently in Australia?! The familial relationships are somehow real and absurd at the same time, which I guess is my feeling about the whole book, actually.

My thanks to Picador and NetGalley for the ARC.

Following our main protagonist Amelia who works in the family funeral parlour business and helps with funeral processions, Amelia is struggling with her mental health the funeral parlour can have its affect on her at times with seeing dead bodies and also being around death a lot. Amelia tries to deal with her well-being and forgetting everything by going on dating apps and having sex.

When one day she wakes up to the worst news anyone could receive and this takes Amelia On a collision course head first into coming face to face with everything that’s she’s been trying to neglect and forget in her mind and having to work everything out.
Along the way she will meet some people that will help shape how she moves on,sometimes the first impressions are not the greatest but we get there in the end :)

New animal was a read that I enjoyed I’ve got to say, I feel for this being a debut this is actually quite a new and fresh book as in yes we’re following a complex/messy/unreliable female character (which I’ve read a lot of recently) but this was actually something that felt like it hadn’t been done before and always got to commend the author for that.

Overall a solid debut that I know is going to get all the buzz and love it deserves.

3.5/5

A strikingly original debut from Ella Baxter that centres on Amelia, a young woman who works in her stepfather’s funeral home and uses one night stands in an attempt to cure her struggling mental health. A shocking loss then sees Amelia experiment with BDSM as a way to block out her spiralling thoughts. Despite the often morbid themes, this is a very funny book and Baxter is (to use a painfully overused term) ‘one to watch’. I have read a lot of novels that focus on ‘unlikeable’, messy female protagonists who have unhealthy attitudes to sex but New Animal was original enough to stand out. I’d be interested in reading a follow up (surely the burgeoning Vlad subplot is ripe for a sequel?!).

“I decide, while fully penetrated, to consent, because you can always throw your body on the fire to keep others warm. I was already filled with petrol; he’s just a man-shaped match.”

Amelia uses sex to escape from her own mind and, presumably, also her day job as a mortician. But, when she loses a member of her own family, she seeks distraction in more extreme places. It makes for fascinating reading.

I got major Australian Fleabag vibes from this book (and I mean that as a huge compliment). It caught me very off guard with how beautiful and deep the writing is, while Amelia is also incredibly relatable, awkward and charming. It’s such an addictive and likeable mixture.

It’s the kind of book I find inspiring. It’s short, it’s deep, it’s moving. I absolutely blasted through it, and yet it made me cry with both laughter and sorrow in that short space of time.

There are very strange scenes of kink experimentation, characters you hope to never come across in your own life (pun not intended), and paragraphs so deeply existential that you have to stare into space for a little while after reading them.

Memorable for all the right reasons.

Favourite quote:

“The deceased are beyond beautiful, but only because they are so empty of worry. Everything tense or unlikeable is gone. Like a shipping centre in the middle of the night, they have lost all the chaos and clatter.”

New Animal will be released on 17th February 2022, thank you NetGalley for the arc.

New Animal is a well written and in many ways courageous book, but I couldn’t get through it, I’m afraid.

It’s a story of grief and an attempt to find some comfort, peace and possibly oblivion in sexual abandon. The narrator Amelia is already plainly troubled by the fairly recent suicide of a young man locally, although we are not told whether they were lovers or even friends. Working in the family funeral business gives her focus and some fulfilment, but when her beloved mother dies she simply cannot face the communal family grief and runs off to Tasmania, where she becomes involved in the local BDSM scene...which is where I gave up.

Ella Baxter is a talented writer. Her sense of place, Amelia’s work and the other characters are very well done and she portrays Amelia’s internal turmoil very well indeed. The thing is, for me it was so unremittingly grim and self-destructive that when she moves into some pretty serious sado-masochistic stuff it just got too much. Again, it’s very well portrayed and I can sort of see what Baxter is trying to convey here, but in the complete absence of any lightness or hope I just didn’t want to read any more about a woman’s self-loathing and degradation, thanks, and I bailed out about two-thirds of the way through. There may possibly be a message of hope and redemption later, but I couldn’t hang around to find out.

This is a matter of personal taste, of course. The book has considerable literary merit and the portrait of a mind (and body) in a turmoil of grief is very well done, but I probably should have realised from the blurb that overall that I wouldn’t like it. I have given it three stars in recognition of its qualities; others may find it more palatable and rewarding than I did, but it wasn’t for me.

(My thanks to Picador for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Amelia works for the family funeral business, preparing the bodies with make up, but when her own mother dies, she feels the need to escape and runs away to stay with her biological father, Jack. There was lots of potential here for a good story with the family dynamics and I liked the way the author brought the biological dad and step dad, Vincent, together at the end.

It's clear from the outset that Amelia uses sex as an escape outlet and has no desire for an emotional connection with the men she sleeps with. I was intrigued by the BDSM premise, but it wasn't what I expected. When Amelia agrees to visit a kink club, she ends up on the stage being whipped for an audience. I cringed as I read how she painted a man with her menstrual blood- eugh!

I liked the premise, I just wanted it to have more emotional depth.

Thanks indeed to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.