First Novelist Award presented to “We The Animals
Amanda Hitchcock
Contributing Writer
The VCU Cabell First Novelist Award Festival celebrated the success of Justin Torres’ first novel, “We The Animals” on Thursday, Nov. 8.
The festival featured a short reading from the novel, a panel discussion and an open question and answer session with Torres, his agent Jin Auh of The Wylie Agency and editor Jenna Johnson of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
According to the First Novelist website, the award specifically “honors an outstanding debut novel published in the preceding calendar year…The Award is a tribute to writers who have navigated their way through the maze of imagination.”
In the opening remarks, Tom De Haven, a VCU English Professor and author said, “A story gives us a glimpse of a world, but a novel gives us the world itself. (This novel) does that.”
“We The Animals,” through its use of the collective “we” voice, follows the story of three brothers as they struggle to overcome the limitations of a destructive home life while illustrating the bonds of brotherhood. The novel confronts issues of family, identity and sexuality as it transitions from the voice of a group to the voice of an individual.
“It’s heartbreaking…(It confronts) the uncomfortable, unsaid—people on the fringes of our society, ” said Shannon O’Neil, co-coordinator of the First Novelist event.
Yet, in direct contrast to the darker nature of his book, Torres was an engaging individual for the audience, incorporating humor and honesty into his discussions through the entirety of the evening.
“I never expected a moment like this…I feel like I just won an Oscar,” Torres said.
However, his voice took on the more serious, melancholy, tension-filled tones of the novel as he read from certain chapters, like “We Wanted More” and “Seven.”
“We wanted more,” Torres said at the beginning of his reading. “We knew there was something on the other side of pain.”
At the conclusion of his reading, he addressed questions regarding the construction of his novel, which Torres said harbors clear and direct connections to his own childhood.
“It hurt,” Torres said of writing the novel. “I didn’t feel any better when it was over. I don’t believe in the therapeutic benefits of writing… I think that if you are writing for therapy…you should probably just be in therapy.”
The writing process was especially extended for Torres, who took six years to finish the novel.
“I write very slowly. … I focus on the language and how it sounds…because I felt a passion for it,” he said. “I like this, and I rarely like something.”
Jenna Johnson, the representative editor for the novel, discussed the impact of Torres’ dedication to this unique language.
“The book itself is so true,” Johnson said. “Everyone can find something in it.”
This year’s First Novelist nominations are presently available for reading and evaluation. Faculty and students are encouraged to participate in the evaluation process by submitting reviews to the English department. Novels are available for checkout in both the English department, located in VCU’s Hibbs building, and in the James Branch Cabell Library.
