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Like Animals
Too much sex in the a young woman goes into a self-destructive spiral after becoming obsessed with a downtown Montreal hipster.
Reality, that speedy bitch, is catching up to me.
In downtown Montreal, everyone is in a band or making a movie. Philomena Flynn and her best friend, Tania, are living fast and hard. There is sex when and where they want it, as well as drugs of all kinds. Not enough work, but lots of parties. Cute boys or nice boys, but rarely both at once. Philomena has no idea how to protect herself from her roaring feelings and goes into a spiral of self-destruction when her heart is broken. Too bad for Tania. Too bad for Philomena’s dad. Too bad for boys who are too nice to her, and too bad, above all, for Philomena.
Like Animals is a glimpse into the raucous, sex-filled lives ― infused with self-doubt and euphoria ― of young, creative people who are far more sensitive than their cool facades will admit.
A RARE MACHINES BOOK
Reality, that speedy bitch, is catching up to me.
In downtown Montreal, everyone is in a band or making a movie. Philomena Flynn and her best friend, Tania, are living fast and hard. There is sex when and where they want it, as well as drugs of all kinds. Not enough work, but lots of parties. Cute boys or nice boys, but rarely both at once. Philomena has no idea how to protect herself from her roaring feelings and goes into a spiral of self-destruction when her heart is broken. Too bad for Tania. Too bad for Philomena’s dad. Too bad for boys who are too nice to her, and too bad, above all, for Philomena.
Like Animals is a glimpse into the raucous, sex-filled lives ― infused with self-doubt and euphoria ― of young, creative people who are far more sensitive than their cool facades will admit.
A RARE MACHINES BOOK
205 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2022
4 people are currently reading
2688 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
January 23, 2022
Like Animals by Eve Lemieux
Translated by Cayman Rock
•
Like Animals is the story of Philly a twenty-something woman who goes on a self-destructive spiral. Lemieux's stream-of-consciousness writing style, and the smooth translation made for an almost intimate read. We are invited within the deep recess of Philly's psyche as we witness the magma of self-harm and self-hatred that slowly burn through her. Philly is a bomb about to explode, and each page brings us closer to the great disaster as Lemieux foreshadows at the beginning of the book, "I can feel myself sleepwalking toward a minefield."
•
Philly is not a character you will like. You might try to understand her and feel for her, but she is an anti-hero through and through. She is loud, obnoxious, vulgar, and out there. She reminded me a bit of Sarah Forestier's character in the movie Hell with a sprinkle of Cécile from Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse. I also think that many would find a lot of similarities between Euphoria and Like Animals, albeit the characters here are a bit older.
•
I might have loved this book for all the wrong reasons, and despite the narrative being sometimes a bit chaotic, it is a book so real and unique that I cannot help but recommend it. That said Like Animals comes with a slew of trigger warnings that I urge you to check out before picking it up.
•
"I walk up the bank with heavy feet while kicking every rock and piece of driftwood I come across. I’m the lead martyr in the cautionary tale of my own invention."
•
"I can’t even recognize myself in the mirror. I’ve brainwashed myself into a romantic coma.We used to be crazy in love, too. Alive. This wasn’t the plan, babe. No way. We were supposed to shine like motherfucking diamonds while the rest of the world watched, not keep up this hypocritical act, separated by the crush of normality. No fucking way. What happened to my fire, my fury, my spark? My life is bullshit. But so is yours, you fucking asshole."
•
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
•
Translated by Cayman Rock
•
Like Animals is the story of Philly a twenty-something woman who goes on a self-destructive spiral. Lemieux's stream-of-consciousness writing style, and the smooth translation made for an almost intimate read. We are invited within the deep recess of Philly's psyche as we witness the magma of self-harm and self-hatred that slowly burn through her. Philly is a bomb about to explode, and each page brings us closer to the great disaster as Lemieux foreshadows at the beginning of the book, "I can feel myself sleepwalking toward a minefield."
•
Philly is not a character you will like. You might try to understand her and feel for her, but she is an anti-hero through and through. She is loud, obnoxious, vulgar, and out there. She reminded me a bit of Sarah Forestier's character in the movie Hell with a sprinkle of Cécile from Françoise Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse. I also think that many would find a lot of similarities between Euphoria and Like Animals, albeit the characters here are a bit older.
•
I might have loved this book for all the wrong reasons, and despite the narrative being sometimes a bit chaotic, it is a book so real and unique that I cannot help but recommend it. That said Like Animals comes with a slew of trigger warnings that I urge you to check out before picking it up.
•
"I walk up the bank with heavy feet while kicking every rock and piece of driftwood I come across. I’m the lead martyr in the cautionary tale of my own invention."
•
"I can’t even recognize myself in the mirror. I’ve brainwashed myself into a romantic coma.We used to be crazy in love, too. Alive. This wasn’t the plan, babe. No way. We were supposed to shine like motherfucking diamonds while the rest of the world watched, not keep up this hypocritical act, separated by the crush of normality. No fucking way. What happened to my fire, my fury, my spark? My life is bullshit. But so is yours, you fucking asshole."
•
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
•
September 2, 2024
4,5 ⭐️
J’ai vraiment aimé ce livre. Je l’ai lu en une journée!
Je me suis rapidement attachée à Philomène et à ses monstres, à Tania et Daniel (et leur relation toxique) et surtout à Raphaël🫶🏻
J’ai (un peu) moins aimé les parties avec la Créature, même si elles étaient très poétiques et pertinentes.
Les segments en italique qui expliquent les pensées de Tania dans certaines situations étaient une belle addition.
J’ai versé quelques larmes à la fin🥺
J’ai vraiment aimé ce livre. Je l’ai lu en une journée!
Je me suis rapidement attachée à Philomène et à ses monstres, à Tania et Daniel (et leur relation toxique) et surtout à Raphaël🫶🏻
J’ai (un peu) moins aimé les parties avec la Créature, même si elles étaient très poétiques et pertinentes.
Les segments en italique qui expliquent les pensées de Tania dans certaines situations étaient une belle addition.
J’ai versé quelques larmes à la fin🥺
December 30, 2021
«Je te connais, Philomène Flynn, je le sais à quoi tu penses. On va pas revirer l'Ouest canadien au complet juste pour que tu retrouves Jeffrey Hudon! Ça va faire, courir après le malheur.» (p.139)
La vingtaine, les amitiés solides, les périodes où on est trop sur le party pour notre propre bien, les gars un peu trash, le besoin d'être unique, les ambitions artistiques qui prennent du temps à aboutir, l'amour, l'amour, l'amour.
Comme des animaux, c'est un roman qui se lit tout seul, où on se reconnaît, on se pardonne, on se console et on choisit les amours doux.
C'était mon Top 8 parmi mes lectures de 2021.
Je veux voir les autres livres du Top 10
La vingtaine, les amitiés solides, les périodes où on est trop sur le party pour notre propre bien, les gars un peu trash, le besoin d'être unique, les ambitions artistiques qui prennent du temps à aboutir, l'amour, l'amour, l'amour.
Comme des animaux, c'est un roman qui se lit tout seul, où on se reconnaît, on se pardonne, on se console et on choisit les amours doux.
C'était mon Top 8 parmi mes lectures de 2021.
Je veux voir les autres livres du Top 10
September 29, 2019
À l’image de sa protagoniste, c’est un roman qui claque, et très fort! Des images puissantes, un mal qui nous défonce les entrailles. J’ai eu de la difficulté à suivre au début, mais une fois plongée dans le récit de Philomène, la dépendance m’a rejointe.
February 17, 2025
You'll never understand how much I need pain.
A novel focused on young partiers in Montreal, Quebec, and all the chaos, partnering, break-ups, casual sex, rough sex, key bumps in bathrooms, and most everything else a person can imagine that young heterosexuals might get up to.
This is not an easy read; it is a harrowing journey to follow Philomena, whose words are extracted above. The narrative also skips around, back and forth, and although each chapter is labelled with time and place, I was often confused, and had to flip back to see when the previous chapter took place.
Philomena is focussed on a creative project, which develops into a "graphic novel" and these elements I found to be weak and distracting. Describing a creative endeavour is never very engaging in a novel, and the prose excerpts (or were they inspirational musings?) from the project were very "on the nose" summarizing what Philomena just experienced, and served to detract from rather than enhance the narrative. These strange moody segments took me out of the novel as I tried to imagine how any of those excerpts could congeal into a coherent literary work.
The ending, however, is somewhat redeeming, as the main character does eventually start to display glimmers of self-awareness, and everything is wrapped up very neatly — although some might say much too neatly.
I feel badly not being able to rate this book more highly, since it does display a high degree of literary talent, but the form didn't entirely work for me, and the main character was unlikeable — and not in an entertaining way.
Sorry, that's just my hard earned boundaries trying to filter out chaos.
A novel focused on young partiers in Montreal, Quebec, and all the chaos, partnering, break-ups, casual sex, rough sex, key bumps in bathrooms, and most everything else a person can imagine that young heterosexuals might get up to.
This is not an easy read; it is a harrowing journey to follow Philomena, whose words are extracted above. The narrative also skips around, back and forth, and although each chapter is labelled with time and place, I was often confused, and had to flip back to see when the previous chapter took place.
Philomena is focussed on a creative project, which develops into a "graphic novel" and these elements I found to be weak and distracting. Describing a creative endeavour is never very engaging in a novel, and the prose excerpts (or were they inspirational musings?) from the project were very "on the nose" summarizing what Philomena just experienced, and served to detract from rather than enhance the narrative. These strange moody segments took me out of the novel as I tried to imagine how any of those excerpts could congeal into a coherent literary work.
The ending, however, is somewhat redeeming, as the main character does eventually start to display glimmers of self-awareness, and everything is wrapped up very neatly — although some might say much too neatly.
I feel badly not being able to rate this book more highly, since it does display a high degree of literary talent, but the form didn't entirely work for me, and the main character was unlikeable — and not in an entertaining way.
Sorry, that's just my hard earned boundaries trying to filter out chaos.
December 1, 2021
this one is difficult for me to review, i liked the overall theme of the book and some of the lines are just poetic. but it has some downfalls, in my opinion. we find that philly is going through struggles (a lot of them, she needs therapy) after a breakup. we don't get a lot of details on their relationship- what we get is a lot of sex. don't get me wrong, that's cool. but let's get some love in there too, ya know?
the book is chaotic at times. jumping timelines with no clue what happened in between. although, i think this is what the author was going for.
i received this book from netgalley for my honest opinion.
the book is chaotic at times. jumping timelines with no clue what happened in between. although, i think this is what the author was going for.
i received this book from netgalley for my honest opinion.
May 19, 2020
Ce livre est d’une telle intensité qu’il est impossible de le déposer une fois qu’il est entamé. L’autrice nous amène aisément dans les extrêmes. La détresse, l’amour qui fait mal, la mort, l’espoir, tout y passe. C’est très imagé, percutant mais à la fois poétique.
J’ai beaucoup aimé Philomène, jeune femme fragile mais à la fois terriblement forte. Avec elle, on nage parmi les morts, la drogue, l’alcool et le sexe.
Malgré toute la noirceur qui parsème sa vie, la lumière finira par percer le chaos et lui amener quelque chose de très beau !
J’ai beaucoup aimé Philomène, jeune femme fragile mais à la fois terriblement forte. Avec elle, on nage parmi les morts, la drogue, l’alcool et le sexe.
Malgré toute la noirceur qui parsème sa vie, la lumière finira par percer le chaos et lui amener quelque chose de très beau !
August 12, 2024
me 🤝🏻 books about mentally unwell women in their 20s living in big cities 🌃🎀✨🍸
August 29, 2025
4.25
Une claque dans face. Impossible à déposer. Du trash, du sexe, de la douleur, de la poésie, de l’art, et encore de la douleur.
Je ne sais pas si on peut réellement s’attacher à Philomène. Un peu comme Tania, j’aurais voulu lui parler en italique pour lui dire que c’est beau la vie quand les monstres te laissent tranquille.
Bisou à Raphaël xx
Une claque dans face. Impossible à déposer. Du trash, du sexe, de la douleur, de la poésie, de l’art, et encore de la douleur.
Je ne sais pas si on peut réellement s’attacher à Philomène. Un peu comme Tania, j’aurais voulu lui parler en italique pour lui dire que c’est beau la vie quand les monstres te laissent tranquille.
Bisou à Raphaël xx
April 12, 2022
Happy pub day to LIKE ANIMALS by Eve Lemieux translated by Cayman Rock! This debut novel was my last read and it was such a wild ride! It’s about Philomena, a twenty something woman living in Montreal, who begins to self destruct and obsess over a man. Right away I loved the Canadian setting and I really enjoyed the assertive writing discussing sex and grief. Some sections were intense and it was hard to read about Philomena spiralling downhill. I was hopeful for her to finally get over him! I found one of the best parts in this book was her female friendship with her best friend Tania. I’m so glad I got to read this great debut novel!
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Thank you to Dundurn Press for my gifted review copy!
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Thank you to Dundurn Press for my gifted review copy!
August 18, 2020
Vous serez vite happés par ce récit cru, par ce personnage d’une grande violence envers elle-même, et par cette longue quête de la réalisation de soi qui prend multiples détours. Un bon roman à lire au plus profond du mois de février!
May 20, 2022
*CANADIAN*
"I suffer silently, naked in the bathtub. Broken. Mary-Christine yells at him in the hallway. Their voices are muddy, but I get the point. She hates that he keeps saving me, always and forever. He tells her that's what you do for someone you love."~pg.170
"Everyone has little monsters running around inside their heads. When I get really scared, do you know what I do? I talk to the monsters."~pg.202
•
🌿
Thoughts~
A dark and addicting little novel!
I really enjoyed this hard hitting debut. I ended up swallowing it in one gulp!
I have always enjoyed messy characters and this novel hits like a punch to the gut. But in all its darkness there was hope and lightness too. I adored Philly and Tania's friendship so much! Lemieux gives us such an intimate narrative of the reality of spiralling out of control and pushing away the people you need the most with Philly's character. Her pull into darkness and death. Lemieux's inspiration for this novel was from thoes who haven't learned to love gently and this hits hard because we all know thoes people, and I admire how she brought this to life in this book, and how she explored sex, love and grief so savagely. Not many writes have to chops to pull this off and Lemieux delivered. Philly's character was self destructive and raw as hell, her feirce love and deep grief was so real and I couldn't get enough. This one will stick with me.
Thank You to @dundurnpress for sending me this book, opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
"I suffer silently, naked in the bathtub. Broken. Mary-Christine yells at him in the hallway. Their voices are muddy, but I get the point. She hates that he keeps saving me, always and forever. He tells her that's what you do for someone you love."~pg.170
"Everyone has little monsters running around inside their heads. When I get really scared, do you know what I do? I talk to the monsters."~pg.202
•
🌿
Thoughts~
A dark and addicting little novel!
I really enjoyed this hard hitting debut. I ended up swallowing it in one gulp!
I have always enjoyed messy characters and this novel hits like a punch to the gut. But in all its darkness there was hope and lightness too. I adored Philly and Tania's friendship so much! Lemieux gives us such an intimate narrative of the reality of spiralling out of control and pushing away the people you need the most with Philly's character. Her pull into darkness and death. Lemieux's inspiration for this novel was from thoes who haven't learned to love gently and this hits hard because we all know thoes people, and I admire how she brought this to life in this book, and how she explored sex, love and grief so savagely. Not many writes have to chops to pull this off and Lemieux delivered. Philly's character was self destructive and raw as hell, her feirce love and deep grief was so real and I couldn't get enough. This one will stick with me.
Thank You to @dundurnpress for sending me this book, opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
August 10, 2022
Je ne connaissais Eve Lemieux que pour l'avoir vue quelques fois à la télé. Jamais je ne m'attendais à être autant soufflé par ce roman aux contours trash où l'amour, le sexe et la haine, de soi et des autres, se côtoient. Eve Lemieux trace habilement les sabotages de nos relations les plus saines et le mal que l'on s'inflige pour se faire aimer de ceux qui nous délaissent. Un roman fort qui fesse fort. 4,5 ❤️ sur 5.
March 30, 2025
(4.5) Brutal, mais poignant.
April 12, 2020
Éblouissant dans sa noirceur, sa violence et son intensité, ce roman refusait que je le lâche avant de le terminer. On monte dans des montagnes russes particulièrement vertigineuses où les étoiles côtoient les flaques de vomi, les corbeaux et la bile. Avec beaucoup de maîtrise, l’autrice nous plonge sans pitié dans l’alternance entre le rire et la déchéance, les moments de pure magie et le désespoir le plus total. Je me sens secouée comme après un tour de manège exceptionnellement étourdissant. Wow. Je rêve d’écrire un jour une œuvre aussi marquante, pour le meilleur et pour le pire
September 3, 2020
j’avais oublié mon livre à la maison alors j’ai attrapé celui-ci pour ma pause et l’ai lu d’une traite de retour à la maison. habituellement les scènes d’amour/de sexe me font rouler des yeux mais ici le côté trash est amené pour montrer la douleur de philo. petite criss qu’on finit par aimer et avoir envie de voir son oeuvre/guérison.
February 21, 2021
30ièm livre déjà pour 2021... et il était vraiment excellent, dur de décrocher...
August 3, 2021
Excellent, l’amour de la violence qui détruit et qui tue à petit feu! On y voit aussi des parcelles d’espoirs.
May 23, 2022
For just a hair over 200 pages, this debut novel by French-Canadian author Eve Lemieux (translated from the original French text to English by fellow French-Canadian Cayman Rock), this book packs in a whole lot of story, filled to the brim with emotions and a roller coaster’s worth of events in the life of Philomena, a totally disorganized and completely codependent young woman living in Montreal who doesn’t know who she is unless she’s attached to someone else. She has no sense of self unless it’s in relation to someone else. In this sense, she’s completely a social creature: humans were never meant to be alone. And Philomena? She just ceases to exist when alone.
The narrative style is going to turn some people off, owing to both its stream of consciousness prose and non-linear timeline. It’s also a very heavy book: not in density, but emotionally and psychologically. For those who usually need trigger warnings or content warnings before reading a book, a warning from me: literary fiction doesn’t give you those. All I will tell you is that if you’re a reader who usually needs those before you can proceed in reading a book, then please proceed with caution.
The best passages of writing in this book are when Lemeiux really gets down to the business of pointing out–without blatantly pointing out–how much we humans are just like animals. Just base mammals designed to eat, sleep, drink, eliminate certain things out of our bodies in a timely fashion or when things are toxic for us, fornicate, fight, procreate, and die. We all do it. Every day we are just animals covered in fabric moving around like we know what we’re doing, when most of the time we’re really just like Philomena: afraid and unable to be alone, needing to be around people, needing to be around our people, and most of the time not knowing what we’re doing with our lives. Sometimes we’re just waiting around to die. Sometimes that decision is just taken out of our hands by our bodies or by outside interference.
There are a great many metaphors and similes involving animals other than humans in this book, just to drive the message home, but those passages didn’t impress me near as much as Lemieux’s excellent and sometimes disturbing pointed messages about how we need to remember we’re still animals and we still act like them, too.
I did cry at the end. I didn’t think I would, but in that last 10% of the book it got all very heavy for me, and by the time the last page had been turned, I had tears coursing down my cheeks. Philomena would eventually find her way. It wasn’t a happily-ever-after, but animals don’t know the meaning of those words anyway.
The narrative style is going to turn some people off, owing to both its stream of consciousness prose and non-linear timeline. It’s also a very heavy book: not in density, but emotionally and psychologically. For those who usually need trigger warnings or content warnings before reading a book, a warning from me: literary fiction doesn’t give you those. All I will tell you is that if you’re a reader who usually needs those before you can proceed in reading a book, then please proceed with caution.
The best passages of writing in this book are when Lemeiux really gets down to the business of pointing out–without blatantly pointing out–how much we humans are just like animals. Just base mammals designed to eat, sleep, drink, eliminate certain things out of our bodies in a timely fashion or when things are toxic for us, fornicate, fight, procreate, and die. We all do it. Every day we are just animals covered in fabric moving around like we know what we’re doing, when most of the time we’re really just like Philomena: afraid and unable to be alone, needing to be around people, needing to be around our people, and most of the time not knowing what we’re doing with our lives. Sometimes we’re just waiting around to die. Sometimes that decision is just taken out of our hands by our bodies or by outside interference.
There are a great many metaphors and similes involving animals other than humans in this book, just to drive the message home, but those passages didn’t impress me near as much as Lemieux’s excellent and sometimes disturbing pointed messages about how we need to remember we’re still animals and we still act like them, too.
I did cry at the end. I didn’t think I would, but in that last 10% of the book it got all very heavy for me, and by the time the last page had been turned, I had tears coursing down my cheeks. Philomena would eventually find her way. It wasn’t a happily-ever-after, but animals don’t know the meaning of those words anyway.
May 8, 2023
*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review all opinions are my own*
I don't know what to think about this book, I liked it and I didn't like it at the same time, it has good parts, several interesting reflections, but the plot itself is not so good, and the characters are pretty boring.
Our main character is not at all likeable but I think she was written to be like that, I thought that some parts of the book were unnecessary and others that I found interesting happened too quickly, the ending so far I don't know if I liked it. I feel like it's a reflection book that you have to go into it knowing you're going to find the story of a difficult character with a difficult life.
Because is a quick book to read I would recommend it!
I don't know what to think about this book, I liked it and I didn't like it at the same time, it has good parts, several interesting reflections, but the plot itself is not so good, and the characters are pretty boring.
Our main character is not at all likeable but I think she was written to be like that, I thought that some parts of the book were unnecessary and others that I found interesting happened too quickly, the ending so far I don't know if I liked it. I feel like it's a reflection book that you have to go into it knowing you're going to find the story of a difficult character with a difficult life.
Because is a quick book to read I would recommend it!
October 16, 2023
Enjoyed this book a lot. Jumping timelines in the beginning, the book built Philly’s world and paralleled how even in her present time, she’s still tied so intensely to her past conflicts and traumas. Philly is messy. The book straddles the poetic-ness of that quality and the real life consequences where you’re left thinking “oh no, please seek help”. It’s an explicit book that shines a light on how hollow a hedonistic life can be.
June 2, 2023
j’ai particulièrement aimé la fin, mais je dois avouer que le reste du livre me semblait très ennuyeux. j’avais souvent l’impression de lire une histoire wattpad, dont les phrases n’ont aucune profondeur. je crois que le self pity était un peu trop heavy pour moi et j’avais pas l’impression de connecter avec le personnage malheureusement!
December 7, 2022
3.5
i never want to self destruct like this
i never want to self destruct like this
January 8, 2023
Wow! Je suis définitivement fan de l'écriture d'Eve Lemieux!
Je l'ai découverte avec son 2e livre Mercure plein la gueule et j'ai été totalement charmée par cette écriture qui écorche, j'en voulais plus et quel bonheur de savoir qu'il y avait un autre roman!
J'attendrai le suivant avec grande impatience !
Je l'ai découverte avec son 2e livre Mercure plein la gueule et j'ai été totalement charmée par cette écriture qui écorche, j'en voulais plus et quel bonheur de savoir qu'il y avait un autre roman!
J'attendrai le suivant avec grande impatience !
May 29, 2022
"Dear Creature,
You are violent and cruel, but the darkness inside you carries its own share of light, of life. My life. So, I need you. Don't be afraid. Let the light grow into the darkness. I promise I won't let it hurt you. It'll help you fly. I promise I'll never forget you. You belong inside me. You make me real, alive. But, I'm begging you, you have to let us keep staying alive.
Philomena, half of you, your other half".
Trigger warnings: Suicidal ideation, depression.
Like Animals is a harrowing tale of loss and self-destruction translated from French. The story follows Philomena, who channels her struggles and dark energy into creating a graphic novel, where she creates a monster who embodies all of her thoughts and feelings. She hands the monster control, taking away her own agency and not allowing herself to overcome past misfortune and hurt, leading the resulting hurt to develop into a cesspit of despair and loss.
The novel is extremely dark, but even in a pitch black room, we can find cracks of light creeping through a crack in the curtain. There a supportive friends and temporary characters, but most powerfully, eventually, Philomena's self learning how to let go of the past and take the monster by the hand.
Thank you Lemieux for producing a simultaneously gripping and soul-destroying novel. I hope to read the French version next.
You are violent and cruel, but the darkness inside you carries its own share of light, of life. My life. So, I need you. Don't be afraid. Let the light grow into the darkness. I promise I won't let it hurt you. It'll help you fly. I promise I'll never forget you. You belong inside me. You make me real, alive. But, I'm begging you, you have to let us keep staying alive.
Philomena, half of you, your other half".
Trigger warnings: Suicidal ideation, depression.
Like Animals is a harrowing tale of loss and self-destruction translated from French. The story follows Philomena, who channels her struggles and dark energy into creating a graphic novel, where she creates a monster who embodies all of her thoughts and feelings. She hands the monster control, taking away her own agency and not allowing herself to overcome past misfortune and hurt, leading the resulting hurt to develop into a cesspit of despair and loss.
The novel is extremely dark, but even in a pitch black room, we can find cracks of light creeping through a crack in the curtain. There a supportive friends and temporary characters, but most powerfully, eventually, Philomena's self learning how to let go of the past and take the monster by the hand.
Thank you Lemieux for producing a simultaneously gripping and soul-destroying novel. I hope to read the French version next.
May 22, 2022
fully loved this. astute, tragic and, ultimately, hopefully.
June 28, 2022
i think i hated this
November 24, 2021
We get to look through the eyes of Philomena and really get insight into her thoughts and feelings as she goes through her struggles, one of which is a major heartbreak. This story is raw, exhilarating, fast-paced, and sexy.
The way Eve Lemieux writes is unique. It is very much a stream of consciousness writing, almost poetic in a sense. It reminded me of the Crank series by Ellen Hopkins, mixed with aspects of the HBO show Euphoria. It is a quick read, and it kept me wanting to read more and more. I enjoyed watching Philomena experience life through its ups and downs. She frustrated me at times, but I can’t help but root for her.
The style of writing is not my favorite and at times can be a little confusing. I also wish there was a little more depth to the plot. But overall, I did enjoy reading this.
This book contains explicit and potentially triggering topics: strong sexual themes, drugs & addiction, suicide & death, illness, domestic violence.
I give Like Animals by Eve Lemieux (available May 10th 2022) a 3/5 overall and a 1.5/5 on a spice scale.
Thank you Dundurn Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The way Eve Lemieux writes is unique. It is very much a stream of consciousness writing, almost poetic in a sense. It reminded me of the Crank series by Ellen Hopkins, mixed with aspects of the HBO show Euphoria. It is a quick read, and it kept me wanting to read more and more. I enjoyed watching Philomena experience life through its ups and downs. She frustrated me at times, but I can’t help but root for her.
The style of writing is not my favorite and at times can be a little confusing. I also wish there was a little more depth to the plot. But overall, I did enjoy reading this.
This book contains explicit and potentially triggering topics: strong sexual themes, drugs & addiction, suicide & death, illness, domestic violence.
I give Like Animals by Eve Lemieux (available May 10th 2022) a 3/5 overall and a 1.5/5 on a spice scale.
Thank you Dundurn Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 13, 2021
Eve Lemieux’s book Like Animals, billed as a hipster sex romp adventure actually touches on way heavier topics. Reminiscent of Virginie Despentes writing and Atwood’s Surfacing, Like Animals touches on themes of sex, suicide, depression, self-hatred, death, obsession, etc.
The main character Philomena, an artist, has a best friend and social network, but she keeps falling way too hard for men to the point of obsession and can’t explain her own behaviour. We get a background of her upbringing, her parents and how she came to be where she’s at, but Philomena goes through some heavy self-harm before being able to get a grip on why she acts the way she does. The drinking, promiscuity, seeking dangerous liaisons could be seen as a good time, but this book shows that there is meaning behind our actions.
This book is effective in the way it’s written, the characters and plot are strong and I found myself incredibly moved by Philomena’s self-destructiveness and journey to self-discovery. We feel her despair and her pain and in today’s world can understand where she’s coming from. I recommend.
The main character Philomena, an artist, has a best friend and social network, but she keeps falling way too hard for men to the point of obsession and can’t explain her own behaviour. We get a background of her upbringing, her parents and how she came to be where she’s at, but Philomena goes through some heavy self-harm before being able to get a grip on why she acts the way she does. The drinking, promiscuity, seeking dangerous liaisons could be seen as a good time, but this book shows that there is meaning behind our actions.
This book is effective in the way it’s written, the characters and plot are strong and I found myself incredibly moved by Philomena’s self-destructiveness and journey to self-discovery. We feel her despair and her pain and in today’s world can understand where she’s coming from. I recommend.
November 10, 2021
This book was easy to read, almost poetic at times. However, the deeper meaning and the problems our main character is trying to overcome is powerful.
Philomena is a hard character to love but she is relatable. Her story brings the questions of self-doubt, where your future is going, what your past was and could have been to the forefront. I think this book stresses we can’t rely on anyone else for true happiness, only ourselves.
The book cover could be a little more powerful, but the chaotic energy of the art mirrors the energy of the characters (in a good way, of course).
TW: suicide, cancer, addiction.
Philomena is a hard character to love but she is relatable. Her story brings the questions of self-doubt, where your future is going, what your past was and could have been to the forefront. I think this book stresses we can’t rely on anyone else for true happiness, only ourselves.
The book cover could be a little more powerful, but the chaotic energy of the art mirrors the energy of the characters (in a good way, of course).
TW: suicide, cancer, addiction.
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