The Animators

The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read/review this book.

This book started out slow for me and really didn't grab me at first, but I pushed through and was so glad that I did.

The story revolves around a complex friend/partnership between two women who combine to make a kickass animation team. There are uncomfortable moments and a lot of struggles through the years. Each woman is battling their own issues, family stories, and histories while creating art that will both heal them in some way and speak to others with meaning.

For me, reading this book at this particular moment was an experience of synchronicity. My best friend and I had met up two weeks ago, and we'd both been talking about childhood, teen years, experiences we'd encountered, things we'd seen that we couldn't unsee, and how those things had an impact on our trajectories and future lives. That is the main theme of the book. Sharon, the main character, grapples with that very issue, similar to what my friend and I had experienced during our childhood. It felt strange and almost eerie to read those pages and see myself and my recent conversation in them.



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