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The Animators

A Novel

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 “A wildly original novel that pulses with heart and truth . . . That this powerful exploration of friendship, desire, ambition, and secrets manages to be ebullient, gripping, heartbreaking, and deeply deeply funny is a testament to Kayla Rae Whitaker’s formidable gifts. I was so sorry to reach the final page. Sharon and Mel will stay with me for a very long time.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Entertainment Weekly • NPR • Kirkus Reviews • BookPage

She was the first person to see me as I had always wanted to be seen. It was enough to indebt me to her forever.

In the male-dominated field of animation, Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses are a dynamic duo, the friction of their differences driving them: Sharon, quietly ambitious but self-doubting; Mel, brash and unapologetic, always the life of the party. Best friends and artistic partners since the first week of college, where they bonded over their working-class roots and obvious talent, they spent their twenties ensconced in a gritty Brooklyn studio. Working, drinking, laughing. Drawing: Mel, to understand her tumultuous past, and Sharon, to lose herself altogether.

Now, after a decade of striving, the two are finally celebrating the release of their first full-length feature, which transforms Mel’s difficult childhood into a provocative and visually daring work of art. The toast of the indie film scene, they stand at the cusp of making it big. But with their success come doubt and destruction, cracks in their relationship threatening the delicate balance of their partnership. Sharon begins to feel expendable, suspecting that the ever-more raucous Mel is the real artist. During a trip to Sharon’s home state of Kentucky, the only other partner she has ever truly known—her troubled, charismatic childhood best friend, Teddy—reenters her life, and long-buried resentments rise to the surface, hastening a reckoning no one sees coming.

A funny, heartbreaking novel of friendship, art, and trauma, The Animators is about the secrets we keep and the burdens we shed on the road to adulthood.

“Suffused with humor, tragedy and deep insights about art and friendship.”—People

“[A] stunning debut.”—Variety

“A compulsively readable portrait of women as incandescent artists and intimate collaborators.”—Elle Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt Inspiring
All stars
Most relevant
A little self indulgent, and doesn’t really go anywhere. Towards the end I was looking for some sort of message from the book, yet there wasn’t one. It was also really long and drawn out at the end. I was waiting for it to finish.

Positives of the book include a good narration and up until the half way through point it was enjoyable- it left you wonder where it was going. It’s only towards the latter part of the book that it begins to dawn on you that it isn’t really going anywhere. Up until this point you forgave the self indulgent nature of the book, putting down to character development, but it unfortunately never really evolves beyond that.

In summary, it’s a slow start that begins to pick up and become interesting only to plummet into a looooong drawn out ending and over all, it is unbelievable as a story. Whilst the book wasn’t terrible, I certainly would t recommend it and would never consider reading it again.

It’s okay but....

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