The Animators: A Novel

The Animators: A Novel

â€œA 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 Whitakerâ€™s formidable gifts. I was so sorry to reach the final page. Sharon and Mel will stay with me for a very long time.â€â€”Cynthia Dâ€™Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest

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:Â 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 Melâ€™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 Sharonâ€™s home state of Kentucky, the only other partner she has ever truly knownâ€”her troubled, charismatic childhood best friend, Teddyâ€”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.

Praise for The Animators

â€œUnusual and appealing . . . The Animators covers familiar debut-novel territory: the search for identity, the desire for success, the bewildering experiences of small-town misfits leaving home for the bright lights of New York City. But Whitaker turns these motifs on their heads simply by changing the direction of the road and populating it with women.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review

â€œA mix ofÂ Beaches,Â Girls, andÂ Thelma & LouiseÂ . . . a â€˜complicated,â€™ â€˜sensual, sexy,â€™ raw nerve of a â€˜roller coasterâ€™ through a â€˜tumultuousâ€™ friendship . . . If you let this story happen to you, youâ€™re gonna love it.â€â€”Glamour

â€œThe AnimatorsÂ is inspiring in its freshness and its authenticity, one of the most original and raw books Iâ€™ve read in a long time. I look forward to more Whitaker novels to add to my library.â€â€”The Dallas Morning News

â€œSuffused with humor, tragedy and deep insights about art and friendship.â€â€”People

â€œ[A] stunning debut.â€â€”Variety

â€œA compulsively readable portrait of women as incandescent artists and intimate collaborators.â€â€”Elle

â€œAn engrossing, exuberant ride through all the territories of loveâ€”familial, romantic, sexual, love of friends, and, perhaps above all, white-hot passion for the art you were born to make.â€â€”Emma Donoghue,Â author ofÂ RoomÂ andÂ The Wonder
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 26159268
ReleaseDate 2017-01-31
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780812989281

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	26159268
ReleaseDate	2017-01-31
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780812989281

The Animators: A Novel

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