Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the eARC!

First of all, the cover for this novel is gorgeous. Ultimately, it is definitely what first drew me to the book, and I will definitely be considering getting a physical copy for my bookshelf, having also now read and enjoyed the same.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this, but what I found was a beautifully moving account of grief. So many quotes stood out to me during the main character (Amelia's) journey of processing these feelings after suddenly and awfully losing her mother. Working as a mortuary beautician in the family funeral parlor means she is constantly around grief, but the impact is profoundly different when it is her own mother.

Amelia is someone who uses casual sex as an outlet anyway, and this aspect of her life ramps up in the days following her mother's death. She finds herself quite accidentally encountering her first experience as a sub, before joining a Kink Club and having a few different experiences.

Admittedly I do not know a lot about the BDSM and kink scene, so I can't comment so much on this aspect; there were some red flags that were clearly intended to be red flags (from Leo, the man she initially subs for), but there were also some afterwards that weren't treated as intentional - for example, an 'experienced' dom in the club mentions not using safe words and instead using 'intuition'. Even as a reader inexperienced with this area of life, it felt a little dangerous to me that the author would include some parts without accurately reflecting them to be an inherently bad example of the BDSM world.

Some parts were explicit and gross and made me cringe, but I personally don't DISLIKE that. It shows good writing, when I physically have to set a book aside and take a moment before continuing, and was, I believe, the intended effect at times.

Ultimately, the book is at its best when focusing solely on the grief and the feelings and processes Amelia goes through, and the multitude of characters and people she has around her who feel just as vibrant and three dimensional. The sexual aspect almost feels like an aside; sure, some parts counter one another well and seem to make sense, but a lot of it also feels somewhat abrupt, and unnecessary.

I thoroughly enjoyed the last chapter, though some loose ends were not tied up as satisfactorily as I might have liked. But perhaps that is a true example of life; with people and things coming and going all the time. ( )

PEARL RULED @ 53%

Absolutely not.

She's just told you her mother's funeral is today, Leo, and this is the first time you've met her. She's clearly fragile. Your job as a dom is to understand that consent in that frame of mind IS NOT CONSENT and you are now abusing a psychologically vulnerable person. The tremendous, exciting promise of the first half went out the window and I am so very out of here. ( )

New Animal is an amazing debut, unlike anything I’ve read before and quite likely to unlike anything I read for some time. It is unique in its subject matter and the bluntness of the feelings involved, both good and bad. It’s a raw look at grief, decision making (generally bad) and how to work through these things when your life insists on falling further apart in your twenties.

Amelia is a cosmetician at her family’s mortuary and from the start you know that New Animal is not going to fit any stereotypes. Amelia deals with grief professionally every day in a very respectful way (the scenes where she prepares the makeup and positioning of the body are heartfelt at their tenderness). Personally, Amelia isn’t going so well. Emotion isn’t something she’s great at, particularly after the loss of her friend Daniel. She tries to seek out happiness and any emotion through hook ups, but it’s not really working. Then something happens to her mum and Amelia is lost. Suddenly she’s feeling too much – too much anger, rage and sadness. The only thing she can do is escape to Tasmania and her father. He’s accepting of her feelings and letting her work through them. Even if that means going to kink parties and joining a BDSM club (where a horse’s head costume is definitely not welcome). Will this help Amelia with her loss?

Ella Baxter has taken a novel primarily about grief and made it hilariously funny at times (sometimes I felt so bad laughing at Amelia’s situations). It captures the essence of broken families and their awkwardness, the comments that turn into slights and the not knowing what to do. The complexity of Amelia’s family (two dads, brother part of a throuple) only adds to the pressure of demands being placed on her. The BDSM scenes are hilariously unsexy, as Amelia describes not knowing what to do and then doing the wrong thing. They take the idea of control and desire and turn it on its head. These are the times when Amelia feels most lost and vulnerable, but are also key to her learning what she doesn’t want. Amelia is a blunt and honest character who hides nothing from the reader and in doing so, makes her incredibly likeable. She is flawed and makes multiple mistakes throughout the novel but never shies away from her decisions. She is stronger than she thinks, but it takes time and a meeting of the dads for her to recognise this and realise that grief is a unique journey.

New Animal is an inventive, wildly original novel that thoroughly deserves all the praise it gets.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this novel. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )