Filthy Animals

In the series of linked stories at the heart of 'Filthy Animals', set among young adults in the American midwest, a young man treads delicate emotional waters as he navigates a series of sexually fraught encounters with two dancers in an open relationship, forcing him to weigh his vulnerabilities against his loneliness. In other stories, a young woman battles with the cancers draining her body and her family; menacing undercurrents among a group of teenagers explode in violence on a winter night; a little girl tears through a house like a tornado, driving her babysitter to the brink; and couples feel out the jagged edges of connection, comfort, and cruelty. Our Booksellers Say... "These tightly woven stories revolve around a cast of characters whose lives unexpectedly and explosively intersect. I was mesmerised by Brandon Taylor's complex exploration of violence and desire. He is in love with the short story as a form and it shows!" Emily, Bookseller (Broad Street) View all of Emily's recommendations