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Pet
Like every other girl in her class, twelve-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher, and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine’s sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. With each twist of the plot, this gripping story of deception and the corrosive power of guilt takes a yet darker turn. Young as she is, Justine must decide where her loyalties lie.
Set in New Zealand in 1984 and 2014, and probing themes of racism and misogyny, Pet is an elegant and chilling psychological thriller by the bestselling author of The Wish Child, Remote Sympathy and The Axeman’s Carnival.
Set in New Zealand in 1984 and 2014, and probing themes of racism and misogyny, Pet is an elegant and chilling psychological thriller by the bestselling author of The Wish Child, Remote Sympathy and The Axeman’s Carnival.
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2023
479 people are currently reading
14.2k people want to read
About the author
Catherine Chidgey
17books376followersCatherine Chidgey is a novelist and short story writer whose work has been published to international acclaim. In a Fishbone Church won Best First Book at the New Zealand Book Awards and at the Commonwealth Writers� Prize in her region. In the UK it won the Betty Trask Award and was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Golden Deeds was Time Out’s book of the year, a Notable Book of the Year in The New York Times and a Best Book in the LA Times. She has won the Prize in Modern Letters, the Katherine Mansfield Award, the Katherine Mansfield Fellowship, the Janet Frame Fiction Prize, and the Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize for The Wish Child. Remote Sympathy was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Axeman's Carnival won the Acorn at the New Zealand Book Awards - the country's biggest literary prize.
Raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Chidgey was educated at Victoria University and in Berlin, where she held a DAAD scholarship for post-graduate study in German literature. She lives in Cambridge and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Waikato.
Raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Chidgey was educated at Victoria University and in Berlin, where she held a DAAD scholarship for post-graduate study in German literature. She lives in Cambridge and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Waikato.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,186 reviews
January 26, 2025
I was looking forward to reading more NZ literature since I am a fan of Eleanor Catton. When one of my groups decided to explore this title, I was eager to try it.
Pet is a literary mystery of sorts. In 1984, 12 years old Justine has a new charismatic teacher. Everybody is attracted to her but the teacher has her favorites, her pets. She gives them additional jobs and they receive in return praise and little perks. At one point, things begin to disappear and it becomes clear that there is a thieve in the class.
It all sounded interesting but I had a few problems. Firstly, the pacing. It was slooow. The first half of the novel was a struggle to get through. The pacing would not have been a problem if I were a person who grew up during that period. Based on other reviews, the novel was magic for this category of readers because if describes very vividly how life was then for a teenager. I can see how it can provoke nostalgia for the past. Since I was not born during that period, I appreciated the descriptions but in the end I just wanted to get it over it. Also, I believe this book would appeal more to readers of literary fiction who do not adventure too much into mystery fiction. Recently, I’ve read many crime novels and the mystery in Pet felt underwhelming and predictable.
I liked that the author touched important themes such as racism, but in the end it wasn’t a memorable novel for me.
Pet is a literary mystery of sorts. In 1984, 12 years old Justine has a new charismatic teacher. Everybody is attracted to her but the teacher has her favorites, her pets. She gives them additional jobs and they receive in return praise and little perks. At one point, things begin to disappear and it becomes clear that there is a thieve in the class.
It all sounded interesting but I had a few problems. Firstly, the pacing. It was slooow. The first half of the novel was a struggle to get through. The pacing would not have been a problem if I were a person who grew up during that period. Based on other reviews, the novel was magic for this category of readers because if describes very vividly how life was then for a teenager. I can see how it can provoke nostalgia for the past. Since I was not born during that period, I appreciated the descriptions but in the end I just wanted to get it over it. Also, I believe this book would appeal more to readers of literary fiction who do not adventure too much into mystery fiction. Recently, I’ve read many crime novels and the mystery in Pet felt underwhelming and predictable.
I liked that the author touched important themes such as racism, but in the end it wasn’t a memorable novel for me.
April 13, 2024
VICINANZA DISTANTE
”The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie � La strana voglia di Jean�, il film del 1969 tratto dal romanzo di Muriel Spark.
Justine � che nonostante rimandi con la memoria al marchese De Sade non ha il minimo tratto caratteristico del Divin marchese � è l’io narrante.
E il suo racconto si divide tra il 1984, quando lei aveva dodici anni ed era da poco rimasta orfana della mamma, morta di cancro, e il 2104, quando Justine ha ormai quarantadue anni ed è madre di Emma, che ha la stessa età che aveva lei trent’anni prima, e ha il padre in un istituto per anziani ormai affetto da consistenti vuoti di memoria (l’alzheimer però non viene mai nominato), agevolati forse dall’abitudine a un consumo troppo generoso di alcolici (la giustificazione era che aiutavano a dimenticare il dolore della perdita).
Vivono in un paese sulla costa che non mi pare venga mai nominato, per poi nel finale si trasferiscono a Auckland, che pur non essendo la capitale è la città più popolosa della Nuova Zelanda col suo milione e settecentomila abitanti. Il posto dove Justine vive ha la caratteristica che tutti si conoscono, tutti i negozi utili sono a breve distanza, e il cane si porta a spasso sulla scogliera.
”The Go-Between � Messaggero d’amore� il film di Joseph Losey del 1971 tratto dal romanzo di L.P. Hartley.
Justine soffre di crisi, di attacchi di qualcosa che rimane misterioso per un bel pezzo, quando poi si apprende che trattasi di epilessia tenuta a bada con pillole piene di effetti collaterali.
La madre, prima di morire, aveva riempito la casa di scritte in un inchiostro che appare solo se illuminato da ultravioletti: la scena in cui Justine dodicenne scopre le scritte, senza senso e alquanto deliranti, con cui la madre ha cosparso pareti, mobili, angoli, l’interno di armadi, scritte che rimangono invisibili fin quando illuminate con la luce adatta a metterle in evidenza, è notevole, una scoperta che mette i brividi.
”Heavenly Creatures � Creature del cielo� il film di Peter Jackson del 1994.
Justine, e con lei la maggior parte delle sue compagne di classe, ambisce a essere la preferita (la cocca) dell’amata insegnante, la signora Price. La quale è speciale in tanti modi: i suoi metodi di insegnamento, adatti all’età dei suoi studenti, metodi moderni simpatici coinvolgenti stimolanti a cominciare dalla gradevole abitudine di rivolgersi ai ragazzi chiamandoli “gente�; perché appare anticonformista pur essendo molto credente e cattolica; il suo portamento fisico e la sua bellezza e la sua classe; l’automobile che guida, una Corvette, con la guida a sinistra invece che a destra come usa in quella nazione; la condivisione di una perdita, la ragazzina ha perso la madre, invece l’adulta marito e figlia in un incidente d’auto. La signora Price piace a tutti, tutti vogliono essere la sua preferita. La signora Price è perfetta.
Ma nessuno è così perfetto.
Nessuno è perfetto. Anche la signora Price deve avere qualche scheletro nell’armadio�
”Au revoir les enfants � Arrivederci ragazzi� il film di Louis Malle del 1987, quarto esempio di classico ritratto del tradimento giovanile.
Poi a un certo punto questo piacevole romanzo di formazione si tinge di nero, c’� una morte improvvisa�
Un evento che stando attenti si capisce sia stato preparato molto prima: la cura dei dettagli, la minuzia di certe descrizioni, può lasciare intuire che sia un crescendo che esplode con quell’incidente. Se davvero si tratta di un incidente.
Gli attacchi di Justine filtrano varie situazioni: o meglio, le rendono appannate, non definite. Intervengono a indebolire la certezza di vari accadimenti. Le cose possono essere come ce le racconta, ma anche no, perché Justine in quei momenti non è padrona di se stessa, quanto piuttosto dominata dalla malattia.
Un curioso ed emozionante romanzo di formazione, dove gli adolescenti la fanno da padrone, oscillando tra amicizia e meschinità, lealtà e tradimento, ansia e competizione, sensibilità e cattiveria. Un romanzo di formazione che man mano diventa un thriller, che pare poggiare su microeventi - i furti di oggetti di scarso valore appartenenti ai ragazzi, le liti in classe, i voltafaccia, gli scherzi, i giochi, i passatempo, la presenza sullo sfondo dei genitori, in quanto l’unica adulta a troneggiare è la signora Price, che di nome di battesimo fa Angela epperò evoca tutt’altro che un angelo...
Catherine Chidgey
”The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie � La strana voglia di Jean�, il film del 1969 tratto dal romanzo di Muriel Spark.
Justine � che nonostante rimandi con la memoria al marchese De Sade non ha il minimo tratto caratteristico del Divin marchese � è l’io narrante.
E il suo racconto si divide tra il 1984, quando lei aveva dodici anni ed era da poco rimasta orfana della mamma, morta di cancro, e il 2104, quando Justine ha ormai quarantadue anni ed è madre di Emma, che ha la stessa età che aveva lei trent’anni prima, e ha il padre in un istituto per anziani ormai affetto da consistenti vuoti di memoria (l’alzheimer però non viene mai nominato), agevolati forse dall’abitudine a un consumo troppo generoso di alcolici (la giustificazione era che aiutavano a dimenticare il dolore della perdita).
Vivono in un paese sulla costa che non mi pare venga mai nominato, per poi nel finale si trasferiscono a Auckland, che pur non essendo la capitale è la città più popolosa della Nuova Zelanda col suo milione e settecentomila abitanti. Il posto dove Justine vive ha la caratteristica che tutti si conoscono, tutti i negozi utili sono a breve distanza, e il cane si porta a spasso sulla scogliera.
”The Go-Between � Messaggero d’amore� il film di Joseph Losey del 1971 tratto dal romanzo di L.P. Hartley.
Justine soffre di crisi, di attacchi di qualcosa che rimane misterioso per un bel pezzo, quando poi si apprende che trattasi di epilessia tenuta a bada con pillole piene di effetti collaterali.
La madre, prima di morire, aveva riempito la casa di scritte in un inchiostro che appare solo se illuminato da ultravioletti: la scena in cui Justine dodicenne scopre le scritte, senza senso e alquanto deliranti, con cui la madre ha cosparso pareti, mobili, angoli, l’interno di armadi, scritte che rimangono invisibili fin quando illuminate con la luce adatta a metterle in evidenza, è notevole, una scoperta che mette i brividi.
”Heavenly Creatures � Creature del cielo� il film di Peter Jackson del 1994.
Justine, e con lei la maggior parte delle sue compagne di classe, ambisce a essere la preferita (la cocca) dell’amata insegnante, la signora Price. La quale è speciale in tanti modi: i suoi metodi di insegnamento, adatti all’età dei suoi studenti, metodi moderni simpatici coinvolgenti stimolanti a cominciare dalla gradevole abitudine di rivolgersi ai ragazzi chiamandoli “gente�; perché appare anticonformista pur essendo molto credente e cattolica; il suo portamento fisico e la sua bellezza e la sua classe; l’automobile che guida, una Corvette, con la guida a sinistra invece che a destra come usa in quella nazione; la condivisione di una perdita, la ragazzina ha perso la madre, invece l’adulta marito e figlia in un incidente d’auto. La signora Price piace a tutti, tutti vogliono essere la sua preferita. La signora Price è perfetta.
Ma nessuno è così perfetto.
Nessuno è perfetto. Anche la signora Price deve avere qualche scheletro nell’armadio�
”Au revoir les enfants � Arrivederci ragazzi� il film di Louis Malle del 1987, quarto esempio di classico ritratto del tradimento giovanile.
Poi a un certo punto questo piacevole romanzo di formazione si tinge di nero, c’� una morte improvvisa�
Un evento che stando attenti si capisce sia stato preparato molto prima: la cura dei dettagli, la minuzia di certe descrizioni, può lasciare intuire che sia un crescendo che esplode con quell’incidente. Se davvero si tratta di un incidente.
Gli attacchi di Justine filtrano varie situazioni: o meglio, le rendono appannate, non definite. Intervengono a indebolire la certezza di vari accadimenti. Le cose possono essere come ce le racconta, ma anche no, perché Justine in quei momenti non è padrona di se stessa, quanto piuttosto dominata dalla malattia.
Un curioso ed emozionante romanzo di formazione, dove gli adolescenti la fanno da padrone, oscillando tra amicizia e meschinità, lealtà e tradimento, ansia e competizione, sensibilità e cattiveria. Un romanzo di formazione che man mano diventa un thriller, che pare poggiare su microeventi - i furti di oggetti di scarso valore appartenenti ai ragazzi, le liti in classe, i voltafaccia, gli scherzi, i giochi, i passatempo, la presenza sullo sfondo dei genitori, in quanto l’unica adulta a troneggiare è la signora Price, che di nome di battesimo fa Angela epperò evoca tutt’altro che un angelo...
Catherine Chidgey
June 27, 2023
I was a bit staggered at how compelling this book is. It's certainly an easy read which usually means not much will surprise me. However Catherine Chidgey has served up a wonderful slow burner that oozes menace and evil.
The story is split into two timelines: 2014 when the adult Justine is visiting her ailing father with her own daughter and 1984 which covers the main event of the motherless Justine's school days.
Mrs Price is Justine's form teacher in primary school and everyone wants to be the beautiful and charismatic teacher's pet. But Mrs Price only seems to pick the beautiful children whereas Justine and her best friend, Amy, do not fit into that category.
As Justine tries to inveigle her way into Mrs Price's good books a thief begins to take the things most precious to each class member. Nobody knows who is taking things and Mrs Price uses her own special way of ferreting put the truth. As more things go missing Justine has to make a choice of who she believes to be the thief and which way her loyalties lie.
Pet is a masterful telling of a story which we could all see in ourselves -- the desire to be admired, the need to be felt indispensable, the overwhelming need to fit in at school. Justine's loyalties are pulled in opposing directions on a daily basis, all while she is trying to come to terms with the loss of her mother and deal with his father's increasing drinking.
I got to about a third of the way through this book then found myself staying up way past midnight in order to know how it finished. Catherine Chidgey's Mrs Price is such an incredible character and the way she uses her popularity to manipulate situations is so cleverly done. I spent quite a bit of time talking to the characters to tell them what I thought of them then then next minute wondering if I, like Justine had misremembered a certain event.
If anything I'd advise you to read this story carefully and not rush through as you will find yourself wanting to do. This is my first experience of Catherine Chidgey's writing but I'm definitely going to find more. This was excellent. It deserves every bit of praise heaped on it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Europa Editions for the advance review copy.
The story is split into two timelines: 2014 when the adult Justine is visiting her ailing father with her own daughter and 1984 which covers the main event of the motherless Justine's school days.
Mrs Price is Justine's form teacher in primary school and everyone wants to be the beautiful and charismatic teacher's pet. But Mrs Price only seems to pick the beautiful children whereas Justine and her best friend, Amy, do not fit into that category.
As Justine tries to inveigle her way into Mrs Price's good books a thief begins to take the things most precious to each class member. Nobody knows who is taking things and Mrs Price uses her own special way of ferreting put the truth. As more things go missing Justine has to make a choice of who she believes to be the thief and which way her loyalties lie.
Pet is a masterful telling of a story which we could all see in ourselves -- the desire to be admired, the need to be felt indispensable, the overwhelming need to fit in at school. Justine's loyalties are pulled in opposing directions on a daily basis, all while she is trying to come to terms with the loss of her mother and deal with his father's increasing drinking.
I got to about a third of the way through this book then found myself staying up way past midnight in order to know how it finished. Catherine Chidgey's Mrs Price is such an incredible character and the way she uses her popularity to manipulate situations is so cleverly done. I spent quite a bit of time talking to the characters to tell them what I thought of them then then next minute wondering if I, like Justine had misremembered a certain event.
If anything I'd advise you to read this story carefully and not rush through as you will find yourself wanting to do. This is my first experience of Catherine Chidgey's writing but I'm definitely going to find more. This was excellent. It deserves every bit of praise heaped on it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Europa Editions for the advance review copy.
July 12, 2023
4.5
Catherine Chidgey is on a roll at the moment, winning this year's Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ's top fiction prize) for the spectacular The Axeman’s Carnival.
Pet published in June, is well-timed to capitalise on readers who may well be despondent after saying goodbye to Tama. I will say at the outset, I don't think this is quite as captivating as Remote Sympathy or Axeman but it's a fun, suspenseful read.
There are some genuinely dark moments here, but then Chidgey excels at dotting flashes of horror into an otherwise pleasant seeming domestic scene. However, it was the nostalgic portrayal of school life circa 1983 that had me most enthralled. Twelve-year-old Justine's school life could have been my own ( minus the Mrs Price equivalent ). The wallpaper-covered exercise books, school dental nurses making little bees out of cotton wool, the adventure playground consisting of stormwater pipes and giant wooden cable reels, no soft landing surfaces in sight.
The fanfare around Lorraine Downs's 1983 Miss Universe win is a particular highlight as I recall watching it much like Justine did, what a big deal it was for a Kiwi to be judged the most beautiful woman in the Universe! How crazy that hysteria seems today.
Pet sparked a welcome avalanche of recovered memories, a rarity in my reading. If I didn't have that connection then I might simply deem this a sly psychological thriller as the Guardian rightly states. I think NZ readers of a certain vintage are going to get more from this ultimately, but there is plenty to admire for Chidgey's growing international fan base :)
Catherine Chidgey is on a roll at the moment, winning this year's Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction (NZ's top fiction prize) for the spectacular The Axeman’s Carnival.
Pet published in June, is well-timed to capitalise on readers who may well be despondent after saying goodbye to Tama. I will say at the outset, I don't think this is quite as captivating as Remote Sympathy or Axeman but it's a fun, suspenseful read.
There are some genuinely dark moments here, but then Chidgey excels at dotting flashes of horror into an otherwise pleasant seeming domestic scene. However, it was the nostalgic portrayal of school life circa 1983 that had me most enthralled. Twelve-year-old Justine's school life could have been my own ( minus the Mrs Price equivalent ). The wallpaper-covered exercise books, school dental nurses making little bees out of cotton wool, the adventure playground consisting of stormwater pipes and giant wooden cable reels, no soft landing surfaces in sight.
The fanfare around Lorraine Downs's 1983 Miss Universe win is a particular highlight as I recall watching it much like Justine did, what a big deal it was for a Kiwi to be judged the most beautiful woman in the Universe! How crazy that hysteria seems today.
Pet sparked a welcome avalanche of recovered memories, a rarity in my reading. If I didn't have that connection then I might simply deem this a sly psychological thriller as the Guardian rightly states. I think NZ readers of a certain vintage are going to get more from this ultimately, but there is plenty to admire for Chidgey's growing international fan base :)
November 18, 2023
I was aroused and haunted in equal measure in this page-turning suspense thriller. New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey is my new favorite mystery writer. In two timelines�1984 and 2014–protagonist Justine Crieve narrates her childhood and chilling trauma. It begins when she is twelve (1984), looking back on it thirty years later in 2014. Justine’s voice captivated me straight away; it was gentle yet candid. This is Justine’s Bildungsroman—the story of her youth, her bond with her widowed father, and notably, her complex status as teacher’s pet to Mrs Price. Enigmatic and alluring, Mrs. Price mesmerized many who crossed her path.
There’s a bit of Cat’s Eye (Margaret Atwood) invective among peers, a competitive and combative air between friends. I was often caught off-guard, I didn’t know who to trust. A reoccurring challenge in Justine’s life is her seizure disorder, which had previously been controlled with medications. A new onset is upsetting to her and her father; moreover, having a seizure embarrasses Justine. PET highlights the chaos and concerns of adolescence, and Chidgey’s talent for voice and atmosphere perpetuates the well-paced plot and complex characterizations. A dark and satisfying read.
August 27, 2023
I am in one of those stretches where I am having trouble really enjoying any book. It took me a few days to get into this one, but I kept coming back to it because every now and then something would happen that surprised me. Eventually I started looking forward to it, which hardly ever happens anymore. And finally I stayed up late to finish it, the true sign of getting fully hooked.
My very short review of this is: like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but more fucked up. This is a pretty disturbing book and I think it's important to note that up front. Here Miss Brodie is Mrs Price, and Mrs Price's class, including our protagonist Justine, is made up of 12 years olds. Right away we see that Mrs Price manipulates the children in ways that it's irresponsible of an adult to do. But this is only the start.
The pacing is mostly quite good, it takes a bit to get started but once it goes the way Chidgey spreads out these incidents perfectly increases tension. The flashes forward to adult Justine and her aging father don't always flesh out the story as much as I like, although I admit that sometimes you really need a break from Mrs Price the more you see her in action. (Eventually she gives this other timeline a purpose, but not sure if it would have been better without it entirely.)
One of my only criticisms of the novel is that Chidgey takes it so far by the end, moving us into full thriller territory. She earns it, which is really saying something. That she takes us from point A to point B, a quite vast distance, is impressive. But I think just short of point B may have been a little better.
Sometimes I struggle with young protagonists, but Justine never bothered me. Chidgey is able to immerse you in the petty rivalries and jealousies of adolescent girls as well as the uncomfortable changes in close friendships that can happen so quickly. Before we get to thriller level tension, this dramatic tension around Justine, especially with her best friend Amy, also holds on to you tightly and ends up tying into the bigger storyline beautifully.
I see there are a lot of nitpicks in this review and I must express that this is a sign of how much I liked this book. It was a jolt just when I needed one.
My very short review of this is: like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie but more fucked up. This is a pretty disturbing book and I think it's important to note that up front. Here Miss Brodie is Mrs Price, and Mrs Price's class, including our protagonist Justine, is made up of 12 years olds. Right away we see that Mrs Price manipulates the children in ways that it's irresponsible of an adult to do. But this is only the start.
The pacing is mostly quite good, it takes a bit to get started but once it goes the way Chidgey spreads out these incidents perfectly increases tension. The flashes forward to adult Justine and her aging father don't always flesh out the story as much as I like, although I admit that sometimes you really need a break from Mrs Price the more you see her in action. (Eventually she gives this other timeline a purpose, but not sure if it would have been better without it entirely.)
One of my only criticisms of the novel is that Chidgey takes it so far by the end, moving us into full thriller territory. She earns it, which is really saying something. That she takes us from point A to point B, a quite vast distance, is impressive. But I think just short of point B may have been a little better.
Sometimes I struggle with young protagonists, but Justine never bothered me. Chidgey is able to immerse you in the petty rivalries and jealousies of adolescent girls as well as the uncomfortable changes in close friendships that can happen so quickly. Before we get to thriller level tension, this dramatic tension around Justine, especially with her best friend Amy, also holds on to you tightly and ends up tying into the bigger storyline beautifully.
I see there are a lot of nitpicks in this review and I must express that this is a sign of how much I liked this book. It was a jolt just when I needed one.
December 8, 2023
I had heard that Catholic school could be treacherous but this was "other level". Chidgey is a wonderful writer. In this novel, she manages to create a nostalgic yearning for the childhood experiences of 1984. Not that anyone within the narrative would want to relive these particular events.
Thanks to New Zealand friends who recommended this novel. I will definitely read more from this author.
4.5 stars
Thanks to New Zealand friends who recommended this novel. I will definitely read more from this author.
4.5 stars
July 17, 2023
I'm very fussy about thrillers. The market is saturated with thrillers and crime fiction, and it's very difficult to find a thriller or suspense novel that really stands out from the crowd. Pet met the brief for me, and then some.
The short blurb about Pet, together with Catherine Chidgey's pedigree as a writer (she was longlisted for the Women's Prize and shorlisted for the Dublin Literary Award for the excellent Remote Sympathy) were enough to sell this one to me when I saw it on Netgalley. Mostly set in Wellington, New Zealand in 1984, here's the short description I read:
"When a charismatic new teacher arrives, everyone longs to be her pet. A gripping story of deception and guilt, set in a Catholic school during the 1980s."
I think this is all you should really know about the story going into it, suffice to say that this is a chilling and suspenseful tale that I had to *force* myself to put down.
The reliability of memory, the laissez-faire parenting of the 80s, the dominance of the Catholic Church, together with the casual racism and accepted misogyny of the time, are all explored with a deftness and skill that really wowed me. Superb and definitely a favourite read of the year. Bravo Catherine Chidgey. 5/5 stars
*Many thanks to the author, publisher @europaeditions @europaeditionsuk for the advance copy of Pet, which was published this week. As always, this is an honest review."
The short blurb about Pet, together with Catherine Chidgey's pedigree as a writer (she was longlisted for the Women's Prize and shorlisted for the Dublin Literary Award for the excellent Remote Sympathy) were enough to sell this one to me when I saw it on Netgalley. Mostly set in Wellington, New Zealand in 1984, here's the short description I read:
"When a charismatic new teacher arrives, everyone longs to be her pet. A gripping story of deception and guilt, set in a Catholic school during the 1980s."
I think this is all you should really know about the story going into it, suffice to say that this is a chilling and suspenseful tale that I had to *force* myself to put down.
The reliability of memory, the laissez-faire parenting of the 80s, the dominance of the Catholic Church, together with the casual racism and accepted misogyny of the time, are all explored with a deftness and skill that really wowed me. Superb and definitely a favourite read of the year. Bravo Catherine Chidgey. 5/5 stars
*Many thanks to the author, publisher @europaeditions @europaeditionsuk for the advance copy of Pet, which was published this week. As always, this is an honest review."
July 30, 2023
An intriguing and disturbing story about growing up, favouritism, and racism, set at a school in New Zealand in the 1980s. Catherine Chidgey does a great job describing the lives of twelve-year-old girls; the competition to be the charismatic teacher’s pet, the insecurity, and the friendships that change all the time. On top of that ‘Pet� is a psychological and very thrilling and compelling novel!
Thank you Europa Editions and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Thank you Europa Editions and Edelweiss for the ARC.
August 14, 2023
“It’s nature, my darling. If you’re at the bottom of the food chain you can’t do anything about it, and if you’re at the top, well, you can’t do anything about that either. It’s what you’re born into.�
This pitch-perfect book � so riveting that it’s hard to set it down for very long � is mostly set in a Mrs. Price’s class in Catholic primary school in 1984. Justine, an epileptic whose mother recently died from breast cancer, is her favored student, the quintessential teacher’s “pet.�
She, and all her friends, including her best friend Amy Fong, are in thrall of Mrs. Price, who looks like a movie star. Justine feels honored when she is asked to clean the blackboard dusters and make trips in her stead to the pharmacy, to pick up some mysterious brown pills. When Mrs. Price expresses interest in her widowed father, she couldn’t be happier.
But there’s tension that lurks right beneath the surface. Underneath her sugary words and her indoctrination of her students into adulthood, Mrs. Price may not be all she appears to be. In fact, this book is redolent with manipulation, misogyny, and racism, clearly portraying the objectification of young women.
These girls are not kind, regularly ranking each other’s attractiveness, ostracizing the weaker ones, and even helping dress and put make-up on their teacher (at least, the “pets� do.) Early on, Mrs. Price nails Justine as someone who is more like her than Justine thinks. And in ways, she might be. She, too, gradually reveals herself as an unreliable narrator and someone who wants very much to fit in and be popular and admired. When a thief begins to steal many of the student’s cherished belongings, things get a lot more suspenseful and complicated.
There are a few missteps: a controversial topic is raised that might not be necessary for the book’s forward propulsion. And some interspersed scenes set in Justine’s father’s dementia home in 2014 that (for this reader) wrapped things up a little too neatly. For me, those don’t subtract from the gripping suspense that rises a notch with every successive scene. I’d rate this one a 4.5, rounded up.
This pitch-perfect book � so riveting that it’s hard to set it down for very long � is mostly set in a Mrs. Price’s class in Catholic primary school in 1984. Justine, an epileptic whose mother recently died from breast cancer, is her favored student, the quintessential teacher’s “pet.�
She, and all her friends, including her best friend Amy Fong, are in thrall of Mrs. Price, who looks like a movie star. Justine feels honored when she is asked to clean the blackboard dusters and make trips in her stead to the pharmacy, to pick up some mysterious brown pills. When Mrs. Price expresses interest in her widowed father, she couldn’t be happier.
But there’s tension that lurks right beneath the surface. Underneath her sugary words and her indoctrination of her students into adulthood, Mrs. Price may not be all she appears to be. In fact, this book is redolent with manipulation, misogyny, and racism, clearly portraying the objectification of young women.
These girls are not kind, regularly ranking each other’s attractiveness, ostracizing the weaker ones, and even helping dress and put make-up on their teacher (at least, the “pets� do.) Early on, Mrs. Price nails Justine as someone who is more like her than Justine thinks. And in ways, she might be. She, too, gradually reveals herself as an unreliable narrator and someone who wants very much to fit in and be popular and admired. When a thief begins to steal many of the student’s cherished belongings, things get a lot more suspenseful and complicated.
There are a few missteps: a controversial topic is raised that might not be necessary for the book’s forward propulsion. And some interspersed scenes set in Justine’s father’s dementia home in 2014 that (for this reader) wrapped things up a little too neatly. For me, those don’t subtract from the gripping suspense that rises a notch with every successive scene. I’d rate this one a 4.5, rounded up.
February 10, 2025
I no longer read many psychological thrillers. The writing is generally undistinguished, the plots tend to be formulaic, and often something preposterous is inserted into the plot in order to make everything work out.
But this. This is something else. Catherine Chidgey is an acclaimed New Zealand author, and her talents shine through in her prose style, her plotting, and especially her characterizations. She is adept at keeping the reader on an unnerving edge even as the story nears its end and we are sure we can predict what will happen next.
The principal part of the book is set in 1984, in a Catholic primary school in Wellington. The 12 year old students have a new teacher, the beautiful, glamorous Mrs. Price. Everyone in the class, and indeed pretty much everyone in the local community, is enchanted with Mrs. Price. The students all long to be selected as one of her “pets�, those chosen to stay after school and clean the blackboard or to run errands for her.
Justine, the main character, is dealing with the recent death of her mother and with epileptic seizures that had been under control but have recurred with the onset of puberty. She is not initially one of the popular kids, although being selected by Mrs. Price as a pet moves her into that category.
Not long into the book it becomes clear that Mrs. Price’s manipulation of the classroom dynamics is odd. As time passes Justine begins to question some of Mrs. Price’s actions; there are things she can’t ignore even though they challenge her internal conviction that Mrs. Price is perfect.
Multiple themes are acutely described in the book, most significantly the phenomenon that causes humans to ignore the unpleasantness that can lurk beneath the shiniest of surfaces. What struck me to the most, though, was Justine’s aloneness. With one exception, everyone in the book puts their own needs ahead of hers. In his widowed loneliness, her father succumbs to Mrs. Price’s charms. The administrators at the school are anxious to avoid the possibility that there could be anything negative associated with Mrs. Price. The other students are only interested in Justine as a pawn in their preteen social games. Even her former friend Amy urges Justine to delve into Mrs. Price’s secrets in order to vindicate herself. The family of one of her classmates co-opts her into being part of their anti-abortion demonstration although Justine hasn’t a clue what is going on.
Only one boy cares about how everything unfolding in the story affects Justine herself and offers his unquestioning help as she sorts through the various stresses in her life. I’m not suggesting the theme is friendship; it’s more that his concern is the inverse of everyone else’s self-absorption.
I can’t really find much wrong with this book. It is everything a psychological thriller should be, with quite a few extras thrown in.
But this. This is something else. Catherine Chidgey is an acclaimed New Zealand author, and her talents shine through in her prose style, her plotting, and especially her characterizations. She is adept at keeping the reader on an unnerving edge even as the story nears its end and we are sure we can predict what will happen next.
The principal part of the book is set in 1984, in a Catholic primary school in Wellington. The 12 year old students have a new teacher, the beautiful, glamorous Mrs. Price. Everyone in the class, and indeed pretty much everyone in the local community, is enchanted with Mrs. Price. The students all long to be selected as one of her “pets�, those chosen to stay after school and clean the blackboard or to run errands for her.
Justine, the main character, is dealing with the recent death of her mother and with epileptic seizures that had been under control but have recurred with the onset of puberty. She is not initially one of the popular kids, although being selected by Mrs. Price as a pet moves her into that category.
Not long into the book it becomes clear that Mrs. Price’s manipulation of the classroom dynamics is odd. As time passes Justine begins to question some of Mrs. Price’s actions; there are things she can’t ignore even though they challenge her internal conviction that Mrs. Price is perfect.
Multiple themes are acutely described in the book, most significantly the phenomenon that causes humans to ignore the unpleasantness that can lurk beneath the shiniest of surfaces. What struck me to the most, though, was Justine’s aloneness. With one exception, everyone in the book puts their own needs ahead of hers. In his widowed loneliness, her father succumbs to Mrs. Price’s charms. The administrators at the school are anxious to avoid the possibility that there could be anything negative associated with Mrs. Price. The other students are only interested in Justine as a pawn in their preteen social games. Even her former friend Amy urges Justine to delve into Mrs. Price’s secrets in order to vindicate herself. The family of one of her classmates co-opts her into being part of their anti-abortion demonstration although Justine hasn’t a clue what is going on.
Only one boy cares about how everything unfolding in the story affects Justine herself and offers his unquestioning help as she sorts through the various stresses in her life. I’m not suggesting the theme is friendship; it’s more that his concern is the inverse of everyone else’s self-absorption.
I can’t really find much wrong with this book. It is everything a psychological thriller should be, with quite a few extras thrown in.
September 18, 2023
Ah I think I missed the part where this book gets good? If you are wanting to read this then you could easily read the last 30 pages and still have gotten the whole story. Everything else was irrelevant to the storyline.
Interesting to see all the reviews with this being a 4-5star read when it just didn’t even come close to that for me.
Also if I had a dollar for every time the phrase “why don’t you just kill yourself� was mentioned in this book as if it’s a normal saying in every day life that is totally fine to say to one another, I’d be rich.
Interesting to see all the reviews with this being a 4-5star read when it just didn’t even come close to that for me.
Also if I had a dollar for every time the phrase “why don’t you just kill yourself� was mentioned in this book as if it’s a normal saying in every day life that is totally fine to say to one another, I’d be rich.
November 18, 2023
I’ve been trying to go back and say at least a little something about each book I’ve read this year, something I’ve not done before. It’s more difficult when I don’t do it immediately, AND, for me, it’s especially difficult when I really loved the book! And I really, really loved this one by a fantastic author from New Zealand I’d not previously known - it was magically good and its ingredients especially defy description.
This is one of those books that you’re slightly stressed and anxious the entire time you’re reading it - in a good way. It’s ominous but poignant. One one hand, it’s a story of a smart, lonely, sensitive young schoolgirl, Justine, whose mother has died of cancer and who now lives with her sad, bereaved father. In the background of all this is a detailed and spot-on portrayal of the girl’s day-to-day small town NZ grammar school drama as she tries to forge on with normalcy and daily life. The girl is a bit of an outsider in the way that a parent’s death can cause, and her best friend is also an outsider due to being one of the only non-white (Asian) students in this provincial town.
Into this scene of mundane alienation arrives a mysterious, beautiful and charismatic blonde young teacher (who I cannot help but picture as Cate Blanchett), who instantly draws the attention of all these needy students, who vie for her attention and good favor - a vulnerability which the teacher seems to suspiciously exploit, although it remains unclear what her deal is, what’s really going on, and what motives are at play.
From here, things further unravel and a series of events and repercussions impact the school, the town, and its families, including the protagonist’s. This is an overall masterpiece of suspenseful unreliable narration given that the story is largely told through the points of view of young sheltered adolescents, who are also coping with their own family and developmental and social issues, and the adults in the story to which the students� care is entrusted largely seem to lack judgment and awareness at best or integrity at worst. It was kind of like Patricia Highsmith meets Stephen King writing about young people, and I definitely get the comparison to Heavenly Creatures as well, but it was also its own thing. This might also appeal to fans of Yellowjackets (Season One) and Stranger Things, although I want to be clear that this is very grounded in real-world rather than supernatural tragedy.
I really haven’t read anything like this and I thought it was absolutely fantastic and cinematic, if sad and somewhat disturbing but delightfully so. Such a great balance of eerie realism. Highly, highly recommend. I finished it in one day and could not put it down. One of my best of the year for sure.
This is one of those books that you’re slightly stressed and anxious the entire time you’re reading it - in a good way. It’s ominous but poignant. One one hand, it’s a story of a smart, lonely, sensitive young schoolgirl, Justine, whose mother has died of cancer and who now lives with her sad, bereaved father. In the background of all this is a detailed and spot-on portrayal of the girl’s day-to-day small town NZ grammar school drama as she tries to forge on with normalcy and daily life. The girl is a bit of an outsider in the way that a parent’s death can cause, and her best friend is also an outsider due to being one of the only non-white (Asian) students in this provincial town.
Into this scene of mundane alienation arrives a mysterious, beautiful and charismatic blonde young teacher (who I cannot help but picture as Cate Blanchett), who instantly draws the attention of all these needy students, who vie for her attention and good favor - a vulnerability which the teacher seems to suspiciously exploit, although it remains unclear what her deal is, what’s really going on, and what motives are at play.
From here, things further unravel and a series of events and repercussions impact the school, the town, and its families, including the protagonist’s. This is an overall masterpiece of suspenseful unreliable narration given that the story is largely told through the points of view of young sheltered adolescents, who are also coping with their own family and developmental and social issues, and the adults in the story to which the students� care is entrusted largely seem to lack judgment and awareness at best or integrity at worst. It was kind of like Patricia Highsmith meets Stephen King writing about young people, and I definitely get the comparison to Heavenly Creatures as well, but it was also its own thing. This might also appeal to fans of Yellowjackets (Season One) and Stranger Things, although I want to be clear that this is very grounded in real-world rather than supernatural tragedy.
I really haven’t read anything like this and I thought it was absolutely fantastic and cinematic, if sad and somewhat disturbing but delightfully so. Such a great balance of eerie realism. Highly, highly recommend. I finished it in one day and could not put it down. One of my best of the year for sure.
January 24, 2024
It's a slow burner for me, but once it hooks you in, that's it, you just can't stop reading. A dark, compelling read full of guilt and portrayal, just when you think you know where it's going, it twists away. There is a dual timeline, set in New Zealand in both in 1984, with the relationships of 12 year old girls and boys at a Catholic school vying for the attentions of their teacher, Miss Price, and more recently, in 2014 in a care hone for dementia patients. Justine, as an unreliable narrator at 12 years old, struggles with relationships, the recent loss of her mother due to cancer, and her fathers relationship with alcohol. Her best friend is Amy (the only non white character), bullying, the pressure of conforming, wanting to be loved and recognised as special, mysogony, addiction, racism and other really important themes are scattered throughout the book making you really think. A compelling, profound, and a brilliant surprising read.
January 16, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed this. The setting and the pacing was spot on. Can't wait to read more by Chidgey.
November 25, 2024
3.5 �
I enjoyed it overall. The ending was great, and I liked most of the book's weirdness. It was a bit dragged, but it kept my attention.
I do have to say some parts made me highly uncomfortable. For example (out of context spoiler), when the teacher was touching the twelve-year-old’s breasts and inviting the children to come to her house and let them all (including the teacher) undress in front of each other, it just put me in a bad head space. I don't believe that had anything to do with the plot.
▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎
Short Synopsis
Everyone wants to be the new teacher’s pet, including twelve-year-old Justine. Justine is drawn to her, but when they discover a thief is taking people’s things in class, Justine begins to realize something isn't right.
I enjoyed it overall. The ending was great, and I liked most of the book's weirdness. It was a bit dragged, but it kept my attention.
I do have to say some parts made me highly uncomfortable. For example (out of context spoiler), when the teacher was touching the twelve-year-old’s breasts and inviting the children to come to her house and let them all (including the teacher) undress in front of each other, it just put me in a bad head space. I don't believe that had anything to do with the plot.
▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎
Short Synopsis
Everyone wants to be the new teacher’s pet, including twelve-year-old Justine. Justine is drawn to her, but when they discover a thief is taking people’s things in class, Justine begins to realize something isn't right.
September 10, 2023
A slow-burner that turns into a thrilling pageturner.
The setting is a New Zealand primary school in the 1980s where all the twelve-year olds are vying for the attention of their gorgeous teacher Mrs Price. Justine and Amy are best friends, but when Justine becomes Mrs Price's latest 'pet' the friendship starts to break down. Quite quickly it becomes clear that there is something off about beautiful Mrs Price. Is she manipulative? Or is it just that her teaching methods are unorthodox?
The evocative writing made it engaging from the start, but a bit of patience is required for the plot to take off and then I raced through the last 150 pages in no time.
Highly recommended. Thanks to the consistently excellent Europa Editions for a Netgalley ARC .
The setting is a New Zealand primary school in the 1980s where all the twelve-year olds are vying for the attention of their gorgeous teacher Mrs Price. Justine and Amy are best friends, but when Justine becomes Mrs Price's latest 'pet' the friendship starts to break down. Quite quickly it becomes clear that there is something off about beautiful Mrs Price. Is she manipulative? Or is it just that her teaching methods are unorthodox?
The evocative writing made it engaging from the start, but a bit of patience is required for the plot to take off and then I raced through the last 150 pages in no time.
Highly recommended. Thanks to the consistently excellent Europa Editions for a Netgalley ARC .
September 23, 2023
4.5* rounded down.
January 13, 2025
I wasn't sure if I'd like this at first but it was absolutely mental. It begins quite normally about a group of girls at school who are all obsessed with their female teacher and would do anything to be chosen as the teacher's 'pet'. When Justine is chosen, she is at first thrilled, but as she gets closer to the teacher and the teacher begins to worm her way into Justine's life it becomes apparent that she is hiding her true sinister self.
Whilst I found it slow to start and wondered when it was going to start having more of a thriller vibe, once it got going and started to get a bit more creepy I really loved it. The characters were brilliant and there were so many penny-drop moments when the threads of the plot all came together. It becomes a real page-turner and I became super addicted to it.
Also nice to read something from New Zealand as I don't read many books from there! This was just written and constructed brilliantly, so I really recommend if you want a literary thriller that will shock you.
Whilst I found it slow to start and wondered when it was going to start having more of a thriller vibe, once it got going and started to get a bit more creepy I really loved it. The characters were brilliant and there were so many penny-drop moments when the threads of the plot all came together. It becomes a real page-turner and I became super addicted to it.
Also nice to read something from New Zealand as I don't read many books from there! This was just written and constructed brilliantly, so I really recommend if you want a literary thriller that will shock you.
March 2, 2024
…o?!!!!
March 23, 2024
i don't normally write reviews but i want to untangle a bit how i feel about this book. i feel a bit confused given the high ratings and i saw it front and center at waterstones, and it makes me think that maybe i just don't get it.
the issue, i think, is that it tries to be too many things at once and ends up landing flat on all fronts as a result. really great, atmospheric prose and writing style, in fact it's so excellent it was the reason i kept going as it gave me the impression the author knew exactly what she was doing, but slow pace and yet rushed ending??, and it is unfortunately not the 'tale' of misogyny/racism/ middle school politics/religion that it tries to be, and it isn't the disturbing thriller it wants to be either. as another reviewer put it: it really does feel like the point is the spectacle. throughout it all i just had this overall feeling of, "ok, and?" what is it getting at? what is the point? just writing about first periods and getting your first bra isn't commentary in and of itself. is it to accentuate the absence of her mom and the fact that mrs. price is the only female figure justine can turn to? is it the invasion of hands down your bra adjusting your breasts? internalizing it, ok, and? what was the abortion clinic protest about? a showcase of mob mentality, yes. but it's just that: a showcase. none of it even has anything to do with the resolution of the whole mrs price thing, it doesn't tie into how justine resolves the whole affair in her head even, it's just... there. waterlogging the pacing. i just don't get it. i guess in that regard the blurb is accurate: it just "probes". this entire book in fact just probes at everything (even the emotional core) and then is like, woah, oof, that's ugly, let's leave that alone.
i guess if you were living it, you have to leave it alone as a defense mechanism?
man, poor Amy. i really like the friendship(s) painted. going off my own experience, as far as middle school dynamics are concerned, the book can at least boast that it's realistic. & shedding the dead weight of the book you're left with a compelling dynamic between teacher & impressionable student, though. and I really like the forever confusion of Amy's death and as a result the fact that Justice never really escapes mrs price's hold. angela is such a freak. overall i enjoyed the good parts of this book, and it hits some emotional beats, excellent prosecraft, but i wouldn't read it again. i can't even think of the right target audience to recommend it to.
the issue, i think, is that it tries to be too many things at once and ends up landing flat on all fronts as a result. really great, atmospheric prose and writing style, in fact it's so excellent it was the reason i kept going as it gave me the impression the author knew exactly what she was doing, but slow pace and yet rushed ending??, and it is unfortunately not the 'tale' of misogyny/racism/ middle school politics/religion that it tries to be, and it isn't the disturbing thriller it wants to be either. as another reviewer put it: it really does feel like the point is the spectacle. throughout it all i just had this overall feeling of, "ok, and?" what is it getting at? what is the point? just writing about first periods and getting your first bra isn't commentary in and of itself. is it to accentuate the absence of her mom and the fact that mrs. price is the only female figure justine can turn to? is it the invasion of hands down your bra adjusting your breasts? internalizing it, ok, and? what was the abortion clinic protest about? a showcase of mob mentality, yes. but it's just that: a showcase. none of it even has anything to do with the resolution of the whole mrs price thing, it doesn't tie into how justine resolves the whole affair in her head even, it's just... there. waterlogging the pacing. i just don't get it. i guess in that regard the blurb is accurate: it just "probes". this entire book in fact just probes at everything (even the emotional core) and then is like, woah, oof, that's ugly, let's leave that alone.
i guess if you were living it, you have to leave it alone as a defense mechanism?
man, poor Amy. i really like the friendship(s) painted. going off my own experience, as far as middle school dynamics are concerned, the book can at least boast that it's realistic. & shedding the dead weight of the book you're left with a compelling dynamic between teacher & impressionable student, though. and I really like the forever confusion of Amy's death and as a result the fact that Justice never really escapes mrs price's hold. angela is such a freak. overall i enjoyed the good parts of this book, and it hits some emotional beats, excellent prosecraft, but i wouldn't read it again. i can't even think of the right target audience to recommend it to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. The writing is beautiful, and the plot packs a powerful punch. I was already planning on giving this book five stars, and then I reached the twist that made my jaw drop. This is a coming of age story with a sharp edge.
November 19, 2023
Hard to put down, this book is a psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. Justine is the child of a single father, and understandably, she loves her beautiful, Corvette driving teacher, Mrs. Price. Mrs. Price has her favorites, and when Justine becomes one of them, her world is altered in ways that are believable, dark, and interesting. While I preferred the first half of the book which focused more on relationships and less on the plot/thriller elements, I definitely am interested in reading more from this author.
January 8, 2025
Really enjoyed my time reading this very kiwi psychological thriller, even though it didn’t quite reach the heights of The Axeman’s Carnival for me. Chidgey captures 1980s NZ pitch perfectly, and as a kiwi there was much nostalgia in this reading experience. Where she really excels is in her portrayal of the dynamics of the classroom as a social environment. All the nuance of this really plays into the creeping unease that builds through the novel. I was struck as I read this, about how broad Chidgey’s skill is. Her writing crosses genres, settings and always lands expertly. I’m looking forward to reading more.
January 3, 2024
The blurb got me into reading Pet and I was all invested in the beginning. After looking at the ratings, I'm doubting myself and asking it's me or it's the book?!
The problem was that Catherine Chidgey didn't move on, she was taking too long to build the characters. The last few chapters were too rushed that I couldn't digest what I had read. She tried to go for the climax but she missed it.
3.5 stars, Catherine Chidgey needed to work on her pacing. The writing wasn't that bad but she lost me when she kept repeating herself.
The problem was that Catherine Chidgey didn't move on, she was taking too long to build the characters. The last few chapters were too rushed that I couldn't digest what I had read. She tried to go for the climax but she missed it.
3.5 stars, Catherine Chidgey needed to work on her pacing. The writing wasn't that bad but she lost me when she kept repeating herself.
December 9, 2023
3.0/5
My first thought after finishing this was "Is that all?" The book wasn't as dark and engrossing as I thought, given the average rating. Plot could be summarised in a single chapter, everything else just dragged on and on. Also, another gripe was that every single mystery in the book was quite transparent & obvious.
My first thought after finishing this was "Is that all?" The book wasn't as dark and engrossing as I thought, given the average rating. Plot could be summarised in a single chapter, everything else just dragged on and on. Also, another gripe was that every single mystery in the book was quite transparent & obvious.
July 19, 2023
This is most definitely “it’s not you it’s me.� This is a good book, I was just so so uncomfortable reading it and couldn’t enjoy.
August 17, 2023
Rich in imagery and darkly compelling, the story went in directions I didn't expect. This is easily one of my favourite reads of the year.
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