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Animal Suicide
Li-Mei had a trauma-free childhood, has an eccentric but caring mother, and has just been admitted to a top university. Only one problem. She wants to commit suicide.
However, after learning about the curious death of her chihuahua, she postpones the idea to dive in into the world of animal suicide. In it she meets peculiar cliff-jumping cows, bridge-leaping dogs, beach-stranding whales. As well as peculiar the passionate founder of a controversial university club, a girl who’s addicted to alcohol and costumes, and a conservationist with an unnatural childhood obsession. Will these unusual characters convince Li-Mei that life’s worth living, or worth losing?
Driven by morbid humor and unconventional romance, Animal Suicide explores the purpose of life when there seems to be no purpose at all.
However, after learning about the curious death of her chihuahua, she postpones the idea to dive in into the world of animal suicide. In it she meets peculiar cliff-jumping cows, bridge-leaping dogs, beach-stranding whales. As well as peculiar the passionate founder of a controversial university club, a girl who’s addicted to alcohol and costumes, and a conservationist with an unnatural childhood obsession. Will these unusual characters convince Li-Mei that life’s worth living, or worth losing?
Driven by morbid humor and unconventional romance, Animal Suicide explores the purpose of life when there seems to be no purpose at all.
132 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2015
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Alexandro Chen
6 books10 followersWriter of uncomfortable romance. Reader of Japanese novels. Admirer of Haruki Murakami. Say hello here: alexandrochen.com@gmail.com
https://medium.com/@alexandrochen
https://medium.com/@alexandrochen
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 16, 2016
When I read and review, I give high points for originality. This is one reason why I rarely read series and when I do, subsequent stories usually do not rate high in my quirky scale of book ratings.
That said, let’s consider Alexandro Chen’s 2015 short novel / novella Animal Suicide. Set in contemporary Taipei, Chen’s protagonist is a young girl, college age but more youthful appearing, who has suicidal ideations, depression and twenty something angst.
Ironically, she chooses to join a club about animal suicide. Yes, animal suicide. Do animals choose to end their existence and if so why?
Told with subtle humor and with an empathetic sensitivity, Chen delivers an introspective, odd and very original tale that is about much more than just the subject. Chen uses YA elements and magical realism to define his parameters while at the same time provoking thought and exploring themes of family, loneliness and love.
Somewhat reminiscent of Haruki Murakami’s writing, Chen demonstrates his talent and provides a very unique story.
That said, let’s consider Alexandro Chen’s 2015 short novel / novella Animal Suicide. Set in contemporary Taipei, Chen’s protagonist is a young girl, college age but more youthful appearing, who has suicidal ideations, depression and twenty something angst.
Ironically, she chooses to join a club about animal suicide. Yes, animal suicide. Do animals choose to end their existence and if so why?
Told with subtle humor and with an empathetic sensitivity, Chen delivers an introspective, odd and very original tale that is about much more than just the subject. Chen uses YA elements and magical realism to define his parameters while at the same time provoking thought and exploring themes of family, loneliness and love.
Somewhat reminiscent of Haruki Murakami’s writing, Chen demonstrates his talent and provides a very unique story.
November 19, 2015
Do animals consciously attempt suicide? That is the question Animal Suicide seeks out to answer. The book is narrated by Li-Mei, a young Taiwanese college student with an interest in the idea of animal suicide. She meets De-Shi, another college student who has started a club on the subject. Together they set out to try and solve the question of whether animals do indeed take their own lives on purpose.
However, Animal Suicide is less about animals and more about us as human beings. How we deal with one another and the world around us. We learn of Li-Mei and De-Shi's problems and their personal experiences with suicide. Questions of where we came from and what our purpose in life is are pondered by them, but, as in reality, there are no answers to these questions that can be satisfactory to a whole. We all come with our own ideas and feelings on the subject. What Animal Suicide does is pose those questions to the reader and let us answer it in our own way.
The book is very well written and the author does an excellent job in balancing the delicate tightrope of dark humor and mournful subject matter. At no point did it feel that one was overpowering the other. A highly recommended read.
However, Animal Suicide is less about animals and more about us as human beings. How we deal with one another and the world around us. We learn of Li-Mei and De-Shi's problems and their personal experiences with suicide. Questions of where we came from and what our purpose in life is are pondered by them, but, as in reality, there are no answers to these questions that can be satisfactory to a whole. We all come with our own ideas and feelings on the subject. What Animal Suicide does is pose those questions to the reader and let us answer it in our own way.
The book is very well written and the author does an excellent job in balancing the delicate tightrope of dark humor and mournful subject matter. At no point did it feel that one was overpowering the other. A highly recommended read.
November 14, 2015
What a strange lovely book Animal Suicide is. With a title destined to chase away a few people, Animal Suicide turns out to be a bitterweet tale about the meaning of life and the frailty of relationships. Li-Mei is going to commit suicide but decides not to after her mother calls to say her Chihuahua died. He was found hanging from his chain in a tree. With no motive or suspects, Li-Mei determines that the dog killed himself and discovers that suicides among animals are not unheard of. The topic of animal suicide becomes an obsession for her and, as you can figure, doesn't really do much for her social life. That is until she meets two other people interested in the topic and joins the Animal Self-Destruction Observation Club to explore her obsession.
The author Alexandro Chen uses this slightly uncomfortable topic to craft an odd but humorous tale that is not really about animal suicide as much as figuring how what life is about and why life become so meaningless to some people as to contemplate ending it. Each of the three people have a reason for being interested in this strange topic. Li-Mei is not really sure why she is suicidal. She has a good if dull and isolated life. The novel is presented through her first-person narration. What starts out as a strange tale of obsession with death becomes an equally strange but comforting romance. During the club's field trip we are given little hints about what the hell everything is about but what kept me going was Li-Mei's own development as she finds a connection with De-Shi, the boy who started the club. What develops and how it ends gives this somewhat simple story its heart and soul.
This short novel is one of those quirky but brief tales that stay with you. The somewhat neurotic approach to relationships and romance gives it a Haruki Murakami edge while the very dry humor that creeps up in the most unpredictable times reminds me of Vonnegut. What it also have in common is an on-the-fence nihilism which is eventually overcomed by an humanistic light. Animal Suicide may not provide anyone answers to the meaning of life but it may shed some light on why people like Li-Mei keep on going despite confusion and chaos. Animal Suicide turned out to be a pleasant surprise in the massive outpouring of publications this year. Hopefully enough people will pick up this book and get the word out. Alexandro Chen is not only a gifted writer but one who is willing to try to make sense out of the insanity called life. Whether he will succeed in that endeavor is highly doubtful but that just means he is as human as we are.
The author Alexandro Chen uses this slightly uncomfortable topic to craft an odd but humorous tale that is not really about animal suicide as much as figuring how what life is about and why life become so meaningless to some people as to contemplate ending it. Each of the three people have a reason for being interested in this strange topic. Li-Mei is not really sure why she is suicidal. She has a good if dull and isolated life. The novel is presented through her first-person narration. What starts out as a strange tale of obsession with death becomes an equally strange but comforting romance. During the club's field trip we are given little hints about what the hell everything is about but what kept me going was Li-Mei's own development as she finds a connection with De-Shi, the boy who started the club. What develops and how it ends gives this somewhat simple story its heart and soul.
This short novel is one of those quirky but brief tales that stay with you. The somewhat neurotic approach to relationships and romance gives it a Haruki Murakami edge while the very dry humor that creeps up in the most unpredictable times reminds me of Vonnegut. What it also have in common is an on-the-fence nihilism which is eventually overcomed by an humanistic light. Animal Suicide may not provide anyone answers to the meaning of life but it may shed some light on why people like Li-Mei keep on going despite confusion and chaos. Animal Suicide turned out to be a pleasant surprise in the massive outpouring of publications this year. Hopefully enough people will pick up this book and get the word out. Alexandro Chen is not only a gifted writer but one who is willing to try to make sense out of the insanity called life. Whether he will succeed in that endeavor is highly doubtful but that just means he is as human as we are.
November 10, 2015
This is one of the harder books to review. Not because it wasn't well written, because it was, and not because it didn't tell a good story, because it did. But it is also a rather disturbing story.
I have never contemplated suicide, and for that reason it made it hard for me to identify with the main character in the story. It didn't really seem like there was anything wrong with her, just every day tedium and boredom, which made her question the value of living. It definitely makes you think about how you live your life, and the value placed upon it, how to find things to enjoy, etc. Maybe the most poignant point in the whole story was that love is what truly brings people together and makes them enjoy life, but even that is questionable since there are some events that happen which lead you to believe otherwise, but which leads our heroine to want to keep living. It's all very convoluted, not easily untangled, but a pretty good read, nonetheless.
I have never contemplated suicide, and for that reason it made it hard for me to identify with the main character in the story. It didn't really seem like there was anything wrong with her, just every day tedium and boredom, which made her question the value of living. It definitely makes you think about how you live your life, and the value placed upon it, how to find things to enjoy, etc. Maybe the most poignant point in the whole story was that love is what truly brings people together and makes them enjoy life, but even that is questionable since there are some events that happen which lead you to believe otherwise, but which leads our heroine to want to keep living. It's all very convoluted, not easily untangled, but a pretty good read, nonetheless.
November 17, 2017
This is one of those books that I didn't want to stop reading. The premise was interesting (do animals commit suicide?), and raises an interesting question for the reader. Could solving the answer to this premise save lives? I did enjoy trying to figure it out for myself, and I came up with an answer by the end of the book. I am disappointed in this book even though I did like it. The ending left lots of questions unanswered and didn't really leave me fulfilled. I'm not necessarily someone who needs a happy ending, but I prefer that questions be answered except in series. This book is not a series so I dislike how the author never cleared up my confusion about certain actions, words, and choices the characters made. I understand that this ending is realistic because suicide leaves people who are left behind feeling empty, confused, and unsure. Still I feel that the ending is full of wasted chances for some of the characters... The author could have made different choices that would have made stronger statements to the readers.
There were errors throughout the novel, which is a peeve of mine. I can't get past the fact that a man who teaches English for a living has bad sentence structure, missing words, and mispellings throughout his debut novel! I understand that he was born in South America so English may not be his first language. However, his job is teaching English to others in countries he has lived in so he should be fluent enough in writing properly or the editor(s) should have caught his mistakes.
I am so unsure about my rating of this book. To me it feels like a a 3.5 but I can't fully settle on the rating because this book is complex. I urge you to read it for yourself and see how you feel about it.
There were errors throughout the novel, which is a peeve of mine. I can't get past the fact that a man who teaches English for a living has bad sentence structure, missing words, and mispellings throughout his debut novel! I understand that he was born in South America so English may not be his first language. However, his job is teaching English to others in countries he has lived in so he should be fluent enough in writing properly or the editor(s) should have caught his mistakes.
I am so unsure about my rating of this book. To me it feels like a a 3.5 but I can't fully settle on the rating because this book is complex. I urge you to read it for yourself and see how you feel about it.
July 17, 2016
Li-Mei has decided to commit suicide because she no longer finds meaning in life. But while she is researching the perfect drugs to end her life, she receives the news that their family dog appears to have committed suicide. This ignites her curiosity regarding the subject of animal suicide, and she becomes so obsessed that she puts off her own – for the time being. She tries to study the subject at her university in Taipei, but it’s not something they cover there. However, her disastrous visit to the animal behavior class results in her being invited to join the Animal Self-Destruction Observation Group.
This is a very strange book. Most of it is deceptively simple sounding, although this covers a lot of ironic humor. But when the author is writing about reasons not to commit suicide, his prose becomes suddenly moving and lyrical. If you are a (human) animal who is contemplating suicide, you should read this book.
This is a very strange book. Most of it is deceptively simple sounding, although this covers a lot of ironic humor. But when the author is writing about reasons not to commit suicide, his prose becomes suddenly moving and lyrical. If you are a (human) animal who is contemplating suicide, you should read this book.
April 15, 2016
Actually, I am not quite sure how to rate my reading experience. At times I enjoyed the interesting idea and the extroverted style the novel adopts in presenting its characters and the bizarre concepts it introduces like a club researching animal suicides and a suicidal girl being distracted from ending her life by the surprising news of the apparent suicide of the family dog, which she hated anyway. At other times I was annoyed with the rather neurotic protagonist and the almost flippant way of dealing with the topic of depression. At the end the novel again offends by leaving blank spaces and unresolved questions. However, perhaps that is the right answer to the question of "why?" those left beind struggle with. Suicides offer no true answers, at least none that really satisfy the need to understand.
November 29, 2015
I am giving this book five glasses and I needed five glasses after I was done. It takes a very dark look at suicide. I am an animal lover and the thought of a dog killing itself disturbs me greatly. However this author really takes the matter seriously and doesn't turn it into a joke. I read it in one night as I struggled to put it down, perhaps morbid curiosity I am not sure. The fact is the author has some real guts to tackle a subject like this the way he does and I applaud him for it. In a world of sequels and cookie cutter novels this book stands apart as truly unique.
Read
November 10, 2015I was completely captivated by ‘Animal Suicide.’ Chen brings a fresh, new voice to the table with an insightful look at taboo subjects. This book is not only about the baffling incidences of animals taking their own lives, but humans as well. He tackles these dark topics with humor and wit while interlacing the themes to show that we’re not as different as we may think. Chen’s characters are well developed and he brings the reader into a world of mystery, melancholy and ultimately hope. A great read!
November 9, 2015
I was interested by the title of the book and thought it would be something different. It was. Well-written on a controversial topic the author does a great job on creating interest and to entertain.
April 28, 2017
Alexandro Chen's novel deftly handles the depressing subjects of suicide, existential angst, and asks the question -- do even animals question the reason for existence in a post-Darwin world? The novel is set in Taiwan and the protagonist is a young undergraduate, Li Mei, who is suddenly plunged into suicidal thoughts. Li Mei was a very recognizable and empathetic character for me because I teach undergraduates in China. For example, I don't know if American university girls ever blush -- that's hard for me to picture in this 'anything goes' age - but Li Mei does and so do my female students if you tease them about boys. Plus, Li Mei's mother and their relationship is well depicted.
I haven't read anything like this novel before -- the closest I can think of is Tom Robbins and Chen's prose is much more spare and delicate than Robbins'. The events depicted in the novel have an unreal, dream-like quality.
I think anyone who has experienced existential angst, depression or suicidal thoughts could relate to this novel. As another reviewer has said, Chen deftly balances the morbid subject matter with light humor.
I really like the attractive cover for the book, it was probably what convinced me to give it a try. I would read more by this talented young author.
I haven't read anything like this novel before -- the closest I can think of is Tom Robbins and Chen's prose is much more spare and delicate than Robbins'. The events depicted in the novel have an unreal, dream-like quality.
I think anyone who has experienced existential angst, depression or suicidal thoughts could relate to this novel. As another reviewer has said, Chen deftly balances the morbid subject matter with light humor.
I really like the attractive cover for the book, it was probably what convinced me to give it a try. I would read more by this talented young author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews