We the Animals discussion

We the Animals by Justin Torres accurately captures childhood innocence as we are reminded by the narrator of what it feels like to grow up. Told through a series of vignettes, it seems more like watching a bunch of random home-made movies rather than reading an entire novel. Torres refrains from including an underlying plot, and his unique style takes on a form of prose with each scene evoking the rawest of emotion.

The book is narrated in the first-person point of view by the youngest of three brothers, we are able to see the world through the eyes of a seven-year old. The abnormal family dynamic he describes forces you to scrutinize the relationships that exist between the brothers and Ma and Paps. The narrator and brothers Manny and Joel have formed a pack in which their basic actions are stripped down to pure human instinct as the boys are often-times left to fend for themselves. Torres portrays each family member in their most wild and candid forms, as the narration embodies vivid descriptions through innocent eyes. This book really makes you read between the lines as it only merely hints at deeper themes such as abuse and trauma unknowingly witnessed by the narrator. As he progressively grows older throughout the novel, he begins to develop a sense of emotional maturity that forces him to explore his own sexuality.