Brandon Taylor revisits the world of young people in academic settings struggling to keep it together while fracturing internally in his sophomore effort, the short fiction collection, Filthy Animals. Lionel, who appears in five of the eleven stories in this collection, somewhat resembles Wallace, the protagonist from Taylor’s debut novel, Real Life. Both are black queer postgrad students at a university in the midwest who feel adrift and disconnected from the world around them, and experiencing desire and heartache in different ways. When we meet Lionel in the collection’s first story, he has just been released from the hospital after a disturbing incident connected to his earlier suicide attempt, and he meets Charlie and Sophie, two dancers in an open relationship, at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Charlie and Lionel begin a sexual relationship, but there is a deep tension and uncomfortableness when Sophie inserts herself into the dynamic, and throughout the five stories this strange triad plays itself out in fascinating ways. This fragile love triangle struggles to survive episodes of confusing desire, contempt, and occasional tenderness, and forces Lionel to think deeper about his path and what he wants from life.
Other stories in the collection also touch upon the wildness and desire that is just under the surface of every person, always threatening to be unleashed. In “Little Beast”, a babysitter looks at the young and rambunctious girl that she cares for who has just had a particularly gross episode, and “tries to conceal her wolf’s teeth, the part of her that wants to reach out and snatch the girl and tear her to pieces.” In “Anne of Cleves”, a woman who has finally found love and romance in a relationship with another woman after unfulfilling relations with men, fears her family, friends, and loved one’s reaction at her eventual coming out. When she comes out to her ex boyfriend, all of her worst fears are validated, and he exhibits a cruelty that shakes her but never makes her question her identity. The titular story is perhaps the most outwardly violent, in which a young man who has feelings for his best friend witnesses shocking violence at a party in the woods.
What makes Taylor such a unique writer to me is his ability to move his reader without relying on high drama or plot twists. He is a writer of such subtlety, who understands just how fraught every day interactions can be, and that some things are better left unsaid. His characters experience racist or homophobic violence in their every day lives, but Taylor doesn’t use those incidents to construct some romanticized narrative about the struggles of growing up black and/or queer, instead he focuses on the nuanced tensions between his characters and their environments. He also writes with such a rare vulnerability that makes the reader marvel at the care and compassion he has for his characters. I’m thinking especially of the stories “Anne of Cleves”, “Mass”, or any of the stories involving Lionel, all of which moved me to tears with their subtle but generous effort to understand the root human struggles of these characters. These understated stories speak volumes about Taylor’s ability to generate huge emotional payoff from small moments.
Filthy Animals is a really strong sophomore effort that only underscores the talent that Brandon Taylor displayed in his debut, Real Life. This collection is a subtle meditation on queer identity, relationships, and family, with violent and subversive undercurrents that add layers to the stories. This collection displays the wisdom one would expect of a much older writer, combined with the spark and liveliness of an up-and-coming talent. Taylor’s acute eye for pacing and narrative means these stories never drag along, but maintain and comfortable and propulsive speed. These interconnected stories are united not only by the shared characters, but by shared themes and a prevailing tone, which makes the connection feel very cohesive. This collection is a stunning look at the desires and appetites lying right beneath the surface of its characters, Taylor has penned a thrilling and substantive collection.
Further Reading: Taylor’s debut novel, Real Life, hit on some of the same themes and was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Read my full review here. I also think readers that enjoy Taylor’s observational narration style may also like Bryan Washington’s story collection, Lot, or his novel Memorial. (My reviews are linked).