PET: a sci-fi view at society's monsters

PET an award-winning, sci-fi, young adult book by Nigerian writer, Akwaeke Emezi is a 200-page story that makes the reader think deeply about today's villains who lurk in the shadows and those operating in plain sight.  

Jam is a selective mute, trans girl who lives in the utopian society of Lucille with her artist mother and father.  When her mom paints a ferocious mash-up of creatures and it comes to life, Jam doesn't believe her eyes.  The creature, PET,  tells her it's there to hunt a monster but Jam thought all of the monsters were eliminated in her town.  The creature won't budge with its intention to fulfill its purpose.  Only then does Jam agree to help in order to get to the truth.  

The story grabbed my attention from the first chapter.  It would be a good read aloud for students to listen to and discuss what they think is going to happen in the book.  I loved how Jam relied on the library and  the librarian to get her access to the past through its collection to truly learn what happened before she was born and the angels took over.  It stresses the importance of studying history and looking for signs of it possibly repeating again. Jam thinks, 

"So, yes, people forget.  But forgetting is dangerous. Forgetting is how the monsters come back."  

Another part of this story that stands out is the way Jam's identity and relationships with her family and best friend are depicted.  Her transition to changing her gender is explained in the first chapter and but it's not the plot of the book at all.  Her family and best friend treat her with respect and value her identity, as does the rest of the community.   She is a strong, curious, brave person who faces a moral dilemma and the creature, PET, may or may not help her through it.  The whole time I was second-guessing who would be the monster and how it would unfold.  The ending completely satisfied my deep appreciation for the journey Emezi took me on and I look forward to reading more stories by them.

Here is an interview Emezi did with author, Christopher Myers, on their novel PET: