When We Were Animals - Hardcover

Gaylord, Joshua

3.59

2,700 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316297933 ISBN 13: 9780316297936

Publisher: Mulholland Books, 2015

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NOMINATED FOR THE 2015 SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL
A small, quiet Midwestern town, which is unremarkable save for one fact: when the teenagers reach a certain age, they run wild.
When Lumen Fowler looks back on her childhood, she wouldn't have guessed she would become a kind suburban wife, a devoted mother. In fact, she never thought she would escape her small and peculiar hometown. When We Were Animals is Lumen's confessional: as a well-behaved and over-achieving teenager, she fell beneath the sway of her community's darkest, strangest secret. For one year, beginning at puberty, every resident "breaches" during the full moon. On these nights, adolescents run wild, destroying everything in their path.
Lumen resists. Promising her father she will never breach, she investigates the mystery of her community's traditions and the stories erased from the town record. But the more we learn about the town's past, the more we realize that Lumen's memories are harboring secrets of their own.
A gothic coming-of-age tale for modern times, When We Were Animals is a dark, provocative journey into the American heartland.

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Review:

""When We Were Animals "conjures the dreamy satisfaction of revisiting the cult horror movies of your youth -- things are familiar but they resound in new and unexpected ways, revealing subtle depths and poignancy. This is a dark, inventive and absorbing story, fittingly theatrical. It disturbs and entertains in equal measure." Benjamin Wood, "author of the Costa-shortlisted "The Bellwether Revivals"""

"Admit it: you remember an animal time in your own life. And if you think you don't, Joshua Gaylord and his book will lash you with it. "When We Were Animals" has the power to creep you out and, yes, turn you on." John Griesemer, "author of "Signal & Noise"""

"Imagine if "Twilight" were well-written and grown up. Coming of age in this small town is less about braces, and more about street fights and lots of sex. Yes, it really is good." "TheSkimm""

"An excellent, disturbing premise [with] superb prose . . . Under [Lumen's] spell, even the most staid reader would feel the impulse to run wild." Shelf Awareness"

"A compelling read that will likely resonate-after all, what's scarier than growing up?" The Maine Edge"

"A brilliant setup . . . A patient, thoughtful portrait of a girl progressing into womanhood, disguised as a work of speculative fiction" Strange Horizons"

"A fascinating look at a time during which we think we know everything, only to realize that we don't even know ourselves . . . When We Were Animals takes us on a journey that is at once completely foreign and utterly relatable." Brooke Wylie, Examiner.com"

"In Lumen, Gaylord creates an unforgettable and, well, luminous narrative voice, and his language captures the lush, dangerous possibilities of teenage nights to perfection. . . . this book deserves a breakout success like that of Jeffrey Eugenides's first novel, The Virgin Suicides." Library Journal (starred)"

"When We Were Animals conjures the dreamy satisfaction of revisiting the cult horror movies of your youth -- things are familiar but they resound in new and unexpected ways, revealing subtle depths and poignancy. This is a dark, inventive and absorbing story, fittingly theatrical. It disturbs and entertains in equal measure." Benjamin Wood, author of the Costa-shortlisted The Bellwether Revivals"

"[A] coming-of-age tale with a gory twist . . . There's no stopping this bizarrely fascinating journey of dark self-discovery." Kirkus Reviews"

Book Description:

A gothic coming-of-age tale for modern times

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