Temporal Reviews: War Against the Animals

I had been eagerly awaiting the release of Paul Russell's latest novel, War Against the Animals - and I was not disappointed.

Russell's novels are always engaging, usually revolving around characters who are coping with loss. In this novel, both characters are coping with the loss of adolescent innocence that comes with the acceptance of one's sexuality.

Cameron Barnes, one of the main characters, is living out the end of his life looking back at his youth - haunted by memories of the boy he loved (before he could name it that), the boy who abused him, and the boy who eventually became the love of his life.

These memories render him open to the companionship of Jesse Vanderhof, the other main character. He is a young "redneck," who initially befriends Cameron in order to bilk him for money. But along the way, Jesse undergoes an awakening that parellels the memory-life Cameron is re-living.

Russell pairs these twin stories of lost innocence with a motif of gardens. The gardens represent an interesting counterpoint to the characters, and help to symbolically tie them and their experiences together.

I was struck by Cameron's character - he is surrounded by friends who love and cherish him, but his loneliness is palpable, especially as he realizes that Max, his oldest and dearest friend, doesn't really "know" him at all.

An excellent novel. I can also highly recommend Russell's other novels - especially "The Coming Storm."