{"product_id":"2940169410440","title":"The Animators: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A wildly original novel that pulses with heart and truth . . . That this powerful exploration of friendship, desire, ambition, and secrets manages to be ebullient, gripping, heartbreaking, and deeply \u003ci\u003edeeply \u003c\/i\u003efunny is a testament to Kayla Rae Whitaker's formidable gifts. I was so sorry to reach the final page. Sharon and Mel will stay with me for a very long time.\"-Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Nest\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed one of \u003ci\u003eBookRiot\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e's Best Books of the Year So Far\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShe was the first person to see me as I had always wanted to be seen. It was enough to indebt me to her forever.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the male-dominated field of animation, Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses are a dynamic duo, the friction of their differences driving them: Sharon, quietly ambitious but self-doubting; Mel, brash and unapologetic, always the life of the party. Best friends and artistic partners since the first week of college, where they bonded over their working-class roots and obvious talent, they spent their twenties ensconced in a gritty Brooklyn studio. Working, drinking, laughing. Drawing: Mel, to understand her tumultuous past, and Sharon, to lose herself altogether.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Now, after a decade of striving, the two are finally celebrating the release of their first full-length feature, which transforms Mel's difficult childhood into a provocative and visually daring work of art. The toast of the indie film scene, they stand at the cusp of making it big. But with their success come doubt and destruction, cracks in their relationship threatening the delicate balance of their partnership. Sharon begins to feel expendable, suspecting that the ever-more raucous Mel is the real artist. During a trip to Sharon's home state of Kentucky, the only other partner she has ever truly known-her troubled, charismatic childhood best friend, Teddy-reenters her life, and long-buried resentments rise to the surface, hastening a reckoning no one sees coming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A funny, heartbreaking novel of friendship, art, and trauma, \u003ci\u003eThe Animators\u003c\/i\u003e is about the secrets we keep and the burdens we shed on the road to adulthood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Animators\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Unusual and appealing . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Animators \u003c\/i\u003ecovers familiar debut-novel territory: the search for identity, the desire for success, the bewildering experiences of small-town misfits leaving home for the bright lights of New York City. But Whitaker turns these motifs on their heads simply by changing the direction of the road and populating it with women.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A mix of \u003ci\u003eBeaches\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGirls\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThelma amp; Louise\u003c\/i\u003e . . . a 'complicated,' 'sensual, sexy,' raw nerve of a 'roller coaster' through a 'tumultuous' friendship . . . If you let this story happen to you, you're gonna love it.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eGlamour\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eThe Animators\u003c\/i\u003e is inspiring in its freshness and its authenticity, one of the most original and raw books I've read in a long time. I look forward to more Whitaker novels to add to my library.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe Dallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Suffused with humor, tragedy and deep insights about art and friendship.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] stunning debut.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"A compulsively readable portrait of women as incandescent artists and intimate collaborators.\"\u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47169273987312,"sku":"2940169410440","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940169410440_p0.jpg?v=1763681716","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940169410440","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}