“Endings seem to come without consent, but perhaps had instead been embarked upon before one could even remember.”
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This was an absolutely striking debut from Barnet. She is so tapped into modern life and because of that is able to flip it, examine it, and question it in a hilariously zany and earnestly serious way. 

Unlike Tender is the Flesh, this world without animals is mainly vegan. The subculture that turns up around the loss of pets- like furries being paid to supplant that love- actually felt like a realistic, if weird and sad, outcome to me. 

Barnet created believable parodies of modern conversations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if these were actually happening. 

On the surface, Jenlena is very adaptable and deeply unserious. To stop at that understanding would do Barnet’s work an injustice. She is incredibly lonely and lost in a world and society bereft of the ability to do and be better. Her malaise and apparent apathy serves as a cover for how much she really cares and craves. When she learns Ricky’s biggest secret, we see her begin to come back to herself in a sense. That relationship was so intriguing. 

I think I could’ve done without the subplot about an abused teenage girlfriend from the perspective of her aggrieved abuser. That felt like a misuse of Barnet’s talent.

I decided to still give this five stars because it was novel, massively, entertaining, hilarious, and deeply moving. Will keep an eye out for this author’s future work!