Justin Torres
Born: 01-01-1980
Justin Torres is an American author known for his debut novel "We the Animals," which garnered critical acclaim for its lyrical prose and raw depiction of family dynamics. Born in 1980, Torres grew up in upstate New York and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His work often explores themes of identity, sexuality, and belonging, drawing from his own experiences as a writer of Puerto Rican descent.
Book summaries for books written by Justin Torres
Quotes
We wanted more. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry.
We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more.
We wanted more. We wanted more. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry.
We were smooth, we knew what to say, we were polite, we were perfect, we were little gentlemen.
We broke everything and we were free.
We lay there in our room, in our beds, while our father's anger built a wall between us.
We were two small boys lying in our beds, our chests rising and falling, breathing each other's air, saying nothing, thinking nothing, yet knowing everything.
We had to leave the table and go down to the cellar, to the dark and the dust, to the gleaming jars, to the bittersweet. We had to leave the table and pick up our own hatchets.
We were kissing and wrestling, nibbling and fighting; we were ruthless and arrogant. We were just boys, just two small boys in a big house.
We were the oldest, the only ones who could ask the questions. We wanted to know what the world was like, what the world was up to.
We were each other's wonder and terror.
We played in the dark, in the long shadows, and our voices rose and fell, taking up a new song.