Animal

The first novel from the author of Three Women

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Pub Date 24 Jun 2021 | Archive Date 30 Jun 2021

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Description

I am depraved. I hope you like me.

MEET JOAN: SUMMER 2021

I drove myself out of New York City where a man shot himself in front of me. He was a gluttonous man and when his blood came out it looked like the blood of a pig.

That's a cruel thing to think, I know. He did it in a restaurant where I was having dinner with another man, another married man.

Do you see how this is going? But I wasn't always that way.


I am depraved. I hope you like me.

MEET JOAN: SUMMER 2021

I drove myself out of New York City where a man shot himself in front of me. He was a gluttonous man and when his blood came out it looked...


Advance Praise

'Wow. Dark, hypnotic and horrifying, with a central protagonist in Joan who demands your deepest empathy’ - Harriet Tyce

‘I don't think there is a writer alive who writes about the interior lives of women with the raw truth and intensity [Taddeo] does. Fearless, sexy, brutal and just forensically observed. She is extraordinary’ -  Jojo Moyes

‘Scorching, unforgettable, stunningly beautiful, Animal blew my mind and has left me reeling’ - Clover Stroud

'Like a series of grenades exploding' Marian Keyes

A 2021 Highlight for: Guardian - Guardian - Sunday Express - Independent - New Statesman - Evening Standard - Cosmopolitan - Red - Daily Mail - Daily Express - The Week - Irish Times - i - The Sun

'Wow. Dark, hypnotic and horrifying, with a central protagonist in Joan who demands your deepest empathy’ - Harriet Tyce

‘I don't think there is a writer alive who writes about the interior lives of...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781526630940
PRICE £16.99 (GBP)

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Average rating from 180 members


Featured Reviews

Joan is depraved and I love her. I highlighted so many passages in this book! Raw and visceral are words I've seen used to describe it. They are apt. One thing is for sure - Lisa Taddeo can write like a mofo. She knows how to get under your skin. She knows how to flay you alive. "Animal" is a story steeped in trauma and marinated in female rage. It has all the makings of a cult classic. I didn't know anything going in, so I don't want to give spoilers. Joan is the epitome of a complex character. I found Alice's perspective really interesting, with her detached and astute observation. So many times I rolled my eyes and thought, "why are men such trash?" There are some really horrifying sections in the book which will stay with me, and some parts where I laughed (probably inappropriately) e.g. I found some of Vic's wife's rants hilarious. It's a book about how what happens to us as children shapes us in adulthood though in all honesty, "Animal" feels like so much more than a book. It's an incredible piece of work.

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Animal by Lisa Taddeo

Oooh my, this was one of those books that I had to split through several sittings, not because it wasn’t gorgeous and tempting and rich with colour and taste but because sitting in someone’s mind and slowly witnessing them turn from prey to predator in this male dominated world was so fresh and raw and dark as hell it spun me out.
Taddeo’s writing is mesmerising, her fiction debut is a fucking masterpiece.

Trigger warnings: rape, sexual assault, miscarriage, paedophilia, car crash, drug abuse and suicide.

Synopsis –
‘Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child—that has haunted her every waking moment—while forging the power to finally strike back.’

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A violent death causes Joan, an unmarried thirty six year old woman, to leave New York City and head for Los Angeles. We’re not initially sure why she’s headed to L.A. in particular, but she’s clearly led a disturbed life and sees this latest incident as simply the final affront - she’s gone from this city. Her parents had died when she was only ten years old and she was subsequently brought up by an aunt, though in a way that lent her a good deal of freedom. When she had money she spent it and though her aunt had been generous and she’d inherited quite a chunk from her parents that’s largely been frittered away now. But she’s on a mission, that much is clear, we just don’t know what that mission is.

In California she rents a house in the Santa Monica Mountains owned by an odd fish called Leonard and gets friendly with an attractive guy who lives in a yurt close to the house. At a nearby café she gets a job making coffee and serving trendy health food. There’s not a huge cast of people here but we meet the few Joan comes into contact with and gradually learn the story of two men she had relationships with back in NYC, and how events eventually came to the boil.

Joan’s reflections on her relationships with men, her parents and on life in general include some really great lines. I found myself pausing to re-read some and even writing a few down to mull over later. She’s haphazardly promiscuous but clearly looking for something she’s yet to find. Some brief encounters seem almost like random acts of self-abuse. She seems to fall into relationships with men: some who she finds attractive, others seek her out and though she is to a degree repelled by these men she uses them to accrue some kind of profit. But it’s difficult to get inside her head - what is it she’s ultimately seeking, is it a figure to replace the father she lost so early in her life?

Her relationship with her parents was complex, we discover. She loved her father deeply, even if he was a rather stand-offish figure, and admired her mother. And the circumstances of their deaths are somewhat mysterious. Their early exit from her life obviously traumatised her but was it the loss itself or the manner of their passing that’s weighing most heavily on her? The narrative keeps you off balance, the whole picture is never visible. It’s not a complex story to follow but it’s difficult one to fathom.

As it draws to a close it seems that Joan has murder on her mind, but is she really contemplating this or is it just a random boast that she’s playing with? We now start to get some clarity on what actually happened in her early life: some of it is ugly but Joan clearly took these events and turned herself into a sponger, a spendthrift and a user. She became a stealer, of things and of people. This is a tale that is thoughtful, sometimes sad, often raw and unsparing and occasionally brutal. It’s a powerful and unrestrained account of how the events in someone’s life can have a profound effect their future. It’s one of the most enthralling accounts I’ve read in a very long time, I just couldn’t put it down.

I really enjoyed Lisa Taddeo’s book Three Women, a real life account of the sex lives of three American woman. That was a strong, honest piece of reporting – but this book impacted me more, I think. I really hope this book achieves the success I believe it deserves, it’s a mind-opening tour de force.

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An incredibly audacious debut novel. This is brutal and unflinching, ablaze with female rage and the insidious trauma and violence of rape culture. Highly recommend!

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Wow, this book was dark and disturbing and at times confusing. It really transports you into the headspace of Joan, and while at times you might not like her, by the end you will just want to hug her. You get a real sense of Joan's thoughts, feelings, wants and desires- Lisa is an absolute marvel of a writer. I found parts of the story difficult to follow (a jumble of thoughts and reflections rather like my own mind!) and you had to stay invested in the story for it all to unravel and make sense of why Joan behaves like she does. Definitely a book I will read twice.

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I don’t really feel like I’m reviewing a book. More of an artistic masterpiece. This is exquisite, written so perfectly, with enough of everything (character development, depth and motive) that reading this is a luxury that doesn’t come up as an opportunity often.

I was completely blown away by this book and will be re reading it again soon.

Destined for awards.

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You will never forget Joan. Her words will cut through your thin skin and slice your heart into bloody red ribbons of pain, horror and compassion. Animal is a story created in trauma and drenched in female rage. The brutality of the words might offend at times but they need to be heard.

When Joan witnesses her lover's death she leaves New York for Los Angeles. She is on a mission to find someone but we don't know who or why yet. Disturbed and thinking herself depraved Joan appears to be on a path of self destruction and settles into a stifling apartment in the Santa Monica mountains. Here surrounded by unrelenting heat and the cries of coyotes, she thinks she will find all the answers to her life. Bur someone is looking for her too.

We learn about her relationships with her parents and men through two timelines, the present and the past. The prose is stunning in both settings and makes for a compelling read. Some lines so unique and gorgeous that they take your breath away and make you pause in reflection. Lisa is a magnificent writer whose powerful words seem to burn the page.

Highly Recommended.

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Animal is vivid and unforgettable. It captures the violence that men do to women every day. It is not for the faint hearted. When something unspeakable happens to Joan, she feels compelled to leave town in search of the mysterious Alice. A series of flashbacks explain how Joan has become the person she has. It's strong stuff, even if you have read Taddeo's Three Women. Personally, I would read anything Taddeo wrote as she shines a light in dark places.

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This is a LOT of book. It was a journey for the protagonist and for the reader. Initially, I felt uncomfortable with the tone but it really does the most fantastic job of drawing you in, making you feel proud and strong, scared and empathetic. Thoroughly recommended.

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We all know Lisa Taddeo for her bold and insightful nonfiction work, "Three Women". Her debut novel is equally striking and raw. I was gripped. Thanks for the ARC!

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What an amazing deeply dark and unsettling, raw and gritty thought provoking novel. Cold and blunt, the truths about ourselves that we don't want to hear or admit to or remember. This gipped me so much that I binged more than half of it in a day. I loved the journey through the past and present of how and why all of the events take place and the actions of Joan, her family and other encounters shape what happens with snowball effects further down the line.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital review in exchange for an honest review.

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Raw, visceral, and often uncomfortable, Animal tells the story of Joan, a 37-years-old woman who flees New York after her ex-lover kills himself in front of her at the restaurant where she's dinning with another man.

Joan is a heroine like no other, self-professed depraved, without remorse or conscience. The book gives you access to her unfiltered and unapologetic thoughts. She acts in many way like an animal, lashing out but as the story progresses you discover a wounded animal and you slowly understand the events that made her who she is.

The book in its own way is also a reflection about women and the dozen little ways they can be assaulted every way. This book will stay with me for a long time, especially one sentence (I'm paraphrasing): "there are rapes you shower and get dressed for."

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WOW. This book has been in my mind since the moment I read the last page. I found the narrative perspective of Joan to be completely compelling and something that stayed with me as I read on. Lisa Taddeo interrogates and blurs the distinctions between victims, perpetrators and exploiters. Joan embodies a multitude of different facades through her rage which is triggered by a relentless cycle of abuse. It's certainly not a lighthearted fiction novel but the complexity and depth of the plot and characters make it hugely enjoyable and gripping to read. The moments of fragmentation in the book seemingly mirror Joan's often conflicted and dissociating mind was especially brilliant. A strong contender for my favourite book of 2021 so far. I'm excited to see what's next for Lisa Taddeo and thrilled on her behalf for the great success I'm sure this book will be.

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Lisa Taddeo is such a good writer. This book is similar in structure to Three Women, in that it is such a slow burn, but by the end, you are completely engrossed.
Joan's story is told in current time, with flashbacks to her childhood and family, and it feels like layers and layers of revelations gradually being exposed to explain Joan's motives and actions. The other characters all have histories and individual personalities.
Another excellent book.

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First off, Thank you so much for letting me review this wonderful book! I absolutely adored this book. I found the narrative of Joan utterly engrossing and spellbindingly compelling. Victim, instigator, purpertrator, exploiter; she manifests and embodies a range of facades through her unadulterated rage, brought upon by a relentless cycle of continued abuse. A complex protagonist (to say the least) her provocative nature made this book addictive. In particular, the representation of fragmented cohesion to reflect Joan’s often conflicted and wandering mind, I found to be bone-chillingly brilliant. A most definitely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This book is truly unlike anything I have read & this review may read differently to how I usually write them - however I jotted the following down immediately after finishing the book, whilst I sat with a tea & found myself to be in a total Taddeo trance realising just how magnificent an author she truly is.

The story unfolds as we are introduced to our narrator, Joan. It’s clear from the onset that Joan isn’t a particularly warm person, she’s detached & cold, something is off yet she has a particular charm luring you in making you want to know more. She’s on the road to LA after something has happened in NYC, she’s searching for a woman named Alice, it’s clear she’s obsessed with her.

The story slowing starts to unravel, providing the reader glimpses into Joan’s life - from a dysfunctional family life & childhood to an array of affairs with older men, all with one common theme, Joan’s desired to be wanted & accepted. At times I felt this to be a similar reading experience to “Boy Parts” by Eliza Clark, not with regards to the story line, yet how we are provided scraps/glimpses, never quite fully knowing why this memory has been recalled, never feeling quite sated only then to witness each part of the story tie together, painting a clear as day picture as to why Joan has fallen into the depths of depravity….mind blown!

Taddeo has this phenomenal ability to shine a light on so many of us women who have not had the easiest of rides handed to us in this life, women who have faced many a struggle, who are now walking through their days with unresolved trauma bubbling away beneath the surface. Yet her gift is that she portrays these women with a touch of darkness, leaving the reader feeling somewhat uneasy & on edge. Her writing is emotive, visceral & razor sharp.

By the last 50 pages I left as if I had just weathered a storm & was now experiencing that blissful calm, watching Joan finally come to terms with varying things & finding that connection & acceptance she so strongly desired.

There were so many moments in this novel that I couldn’t believe what I was reading, yet I couldn’t stop- Taddeo had me enthralled. Animal will without a doubt go on my “holy shit what did I just just read but I’m in absolute awe” shelf. This book will have a home on my shelf forevermore as I feel as if I will want to be plunged into Joan’s dark world yet again. Dare I say I would kill to see this one made into a movie!

If you enjoy a novel that may seem a slow burner yet once all the dots are connected results in your mind being blown, add a splash of darkness - then this one is for you friends. I absolutely LOVED this novel & needless to say, can’t wait to see what Taddeo does next. All that being said, it comes with many TW’s: pedophilia, suicide, gore, miscarriage, murder, racism, sexual assault, ableism.

Massive thank you to the publisher for the arc!

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I’ve seen a lot about this book (and sometimes that can mean a book is a disappointment, just because it is so built up), but this is not. I can’t wait for it to be released so all the people I’ve told about it can buy it and we can discuss- no doubt one for many a shortlist! (Not sure I’d choose this book based on the cover but it’s reputation precedes it).

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This story is told at what feels like breakneck speed. The main character is so damaged by her life experiences, which are gradually revealed throughout the book, that you begin to feel sympathetic towards her odd behaviour. I found it a compelling read

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