You're an Animal

A Novel

De: Jardine Libaire

Narrado por: Dani Martineck

A tender portrait of four misfits, on the run across Texas, that speaks to those who are left out, those who opt out—and to the wild animal in us all

“Libaire creates a delicious universe at a constant brink of collapse, a universe I never wanted to see end.”—Gerardo Sámano Córdova, author of Monstrilio

It’s springtime in Oklahoma, and Ernie, an outcast in a group of outcasts, feels uneasy. Nerves at the abandoned summer camp where he and his fellow oddballs are crashing have been on edge since the arrival of a teenager named Coral, unceremoniously dropped off from her family’s minivan one afternoon. Adding to her aura of mystery, Coral doesn’t say a word. Ever.

When a drug lab explosion burns the compound to the ground, Ernie, Coral, and the hard-living couple Staci and Ray escape on a pair of motorcycles. Feeling shaky with fear and alive with a new surge of freedom, the four outcasts find a rundown house in rural Texas: It's a place to stay, they tell themselves, for now. Yet to their surprise, over card games and wild strawberries and target-shooting and late-night dancing to ZZ Top on the local radio, a quirky little family forms. At the heart of their new home is Coral, whose silence only amplifies her strange, undefinable power and the sense that she found them for a reason.

But soon, tensions rise, and a mysterious threat begins to materialize—whether it’s coming from inside or outside the house still isn’t clear. All this crew knows is, now there’s something at stake: their chosen family, forged by both loneliness and joy, and bonded by an awkward kind of love.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Funny, smart, and heart-wrenchingly tender, Libaire creates a delicious universe at a constant brink of collapse, a universe I never wanted to see end.”—Gerardo Sámano Córdova, author of Monstrilio

“You’re an Animal is a fast and perilous ride toward the center of what makes us human in the most desperate of circumstances . . . Roving and mysterious, this novel is hot to the touch.”—Chelsea Bieker, author of Godshot and Heartbroke

“Absolutely freaking breathtaking . . . This will be the best love story you read this year, trust me!”—Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Five-Star Weekend

“Unsentimental without being gratuitously bleak, thoughtful and empathetic about lives which are usually over-romanticized or ignored. It’s stranger than you expect it to be, too, sudden in its turns, shocking in its progression, and yet, not just plausible, but seemingly inevitable. Let it be inevitable, too, that you read it.”—Jim Lewis, author of Ghosts of New York

“For fans of Mary Gaitskill and Ocean Vuong, a novel which is intimate, poetic, and raw. Libaire’s writing shimmers off the page. You’re an Animal takes you on a journey you won’t soon forget, reminding us of the bonds that can both break and restore us.”—Alyson Richman, co-author of The Thread Collectors

“Jardine Libaire writes with a dark and magical style that brings to mind the work of Denis Johnson and Mary Gaitskill. . . . Completely original, utterly unforgettable . . . I loved this book.”—Amanda Eyre Ward, author of The Jetsetters

“You’re an Animal is a gritty and poetic joyride in a hot-rod beater of a story. . . . Jardine Libaire’s writing is filled with the life and rhythm of a heartbeat.”—Kathy Valentine, author of All I Ever Wanted: A Rock ’n’ Roll Memoir

“Showcases Libaire’s capacity for truly stunning lyricism . . . [an] engaging read.”—Kirkus Reviews

not for me

Dani Martineck did a great job bringing this story to my ears. However, I found the story hard to get into and when I did get into it, I wanted more. Maybe I'm being too picky. I felt like there wasn't a climax to the story. It continued at a nice pace and then you're at the epilogue with an ending that feels like an after thought.

I'm not going to say don't read it because you may love it. Always try a book if it interests you, even if the reviews aren't raving about it.