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Other People's Pets
2021 Colorado Book Award Winner
La La Fine relates to animals better than she does to other people. Abandoned by a mother who never wanted a family, raised by a locksmith-turned-thief father, La La looks to pets when it feels like the rest of the world conspires against her.
La La’s world stops being whole when her mother, who never wanted a child, abandons her twice. First, when La La falls through thin ice on a skating trip, and again when the accusations of “unfit mother” feel too close to true. Left alone with her father—a locksmith by trade, and a thief in reality—La La is denied a regular life. She becomes her father’s accomplice, calming the watchdog while he strips families of their most precious belongings.
When her father’s luck runs out and he is arrested for burglary, everything La La has painstakingly built unravels. In her fourth year of veterinary school, she is forced to drop out, leaving school to pay for her father’s legal fees the only way she knows how—robbing homes once again.
As an animal empath, she rationalizes her theft by focusing on houses with pets whose maladies only she can sense and caring for them before leaving with the family’s valuables. The news reports a puzzled police force—searching for a thief who left behind medicine for the dog, water for the parrot, or food for the hamster.
Desperate to compensate for new and old losses, La La continues to rob homes, but it’s a strategy that ultimately will fail her.
Other People’s Pets examines the gap between the families we’re born into and those we create, and the danger that holding on to a troubled past may rob us of the future.
La La Fine relates to animals better than she does to other people. Abandoned by a mother who never wanted a family, raised by a locksmith-turned-thief father, La La looks to pets when it feels like the rest of the world conspires against her.
La La’s world stops being whole when her mother, who never wanted a child, abandons her twice. First, when La La falls through thin ice on a skating trip, and again when the accusations of “unfit mother” feel too close to true. Left alone with her father—a locksmith by trade, and a thief in reality—La La is denied a regular life. She becomes her father’s accomplice, calming the watchdog while he strips families of their most precious belongings.
When her father’s luck runs out and he is arrested for burglary, everything La La has painstakingly built unravels. In her fourth year of veterinary school, she is forced to drop out, leaving school to pay for her father’s legal fees the only way she knows how—robbing homes once again.
As an animal empath, she rationalizes her theft by focusing on houses with pets whose maladies only she can sense and caring for them before leaving with the family’s valuables. The news reports a puzzled police force—searching for a thief who left behind medicine for the dog, water for the parrot, or food for the hamster.
Desperate to compensate for new and old losses, La La continues to rob homes, but it’s a strategy that ultimately will fail her.
Other People’s Pets examines the gap between the families we’re born into and those we create, and the danger that holding on to a troubled past may rob us of the future.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2020
77 people are currently reading
8131 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Maizes
5 books228 followersR.L. Maizes is the author of the forthcoming novel A COMPLETE FICTION, the novel OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS, winner of the 2021 Colorado Book Award in Fiction, and the short story collection WE LOVE ANDERSON COOPER. Her stories have aired on National Public Radio and have appeared in Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading. Maizes's essays have aired on NPR and have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O Magazine, McSweeney's and elsewhere.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Maizes currently lives in Boulder County, CO, with her husband, Steve, and her muses: Arie, a cat who was dropped in the animal shelter’s night box like an overdue library book, and Rosie, a dog who spent her first year homeless in South Dakota and thinks Colorado is downright balmy.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Maizes currently lives in Boulder County, CO, with her husband, Steve, and her muses: Arie, a cat who was dropped in the animal shelter’s night box like an overdue library book, and Rosie, a dog who spent her first year homeless in South Dakota and thinks Colorado is downright balmy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
April 2, 2020
It's odd to review your own book, so instead I'll just quote what Kevin Wilson, a writer I greatly admire, had to say about it:
"While reading R.L. Maizes's Other People's Pets, I could not stop saying, as La La mouths to herself at one point, remarkable. Every time the novel opened up yet again to reveal some new depth, much like La La and her ability to experience the emotions of the animals around her, I worried how the novel could hold such wonder without bursting, could control the pain and joy of this remarkable story. But Maizes possesses such magic. This examination of family, across all lines and definitions, will open you up in such necessary, beautiful ways."
-Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang
"While reading R.L. Maizes's Other People's Pets, I could not stop saying, as La La mouths to herself at one point, remarkable. Every time the novel opened up yet again to reveal some new depth, much like La La and her ability to experience the emotions of the animals around her, I worried how the novel could hold such wonder without bursting, could control the pain and joy of this remarkable story. But Maizes possesses such magic. This examination of family, across all lines and definitions, will open you up in such necessary, beautiful ways."
-Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang
March 18, 2020
I was provided an ARC of Other People’s Pets by the publisher; this in no way influenced my review. Both Maizes’ writing and her storyline are masterful. I read the book in two sittings; the first half in an evening and then, when I woke up in the middle of that night, all the way through to the end. Maizes builds suspense right from the prologue and relentlessly keeps adding to it. While the characters are no ordinary people, they are well developed; the primary characters are multi-dimensional, continually exhibiting both good and bad, sometimes very bad, behavior. There are many acts of kindness, particularly towards animals, and many malicious acts as well, the latter mostly between humans. What is interesting about the bad behavior is that its perpetrators don’t generally view it as such, self-servingly rationalizing their actions until, finally, they can no longer do that. The plot has several threads that intertwine through the course of the novel and then resolve in a satisfying way. I highly recommend this book; it’s a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read—I can’t imagine setting it aside for very long.
July 10, 2020
With this novel, R. L. Maizes has delivered on the promise delivered in her short story collection, We Love Anderson Cooper. Advance praise from Kevin Wilson was all the impetus I needed to choose this book, and I can see why he was so drawn to it. These two young authors share the ability to create characters and situations so original and so accessible, that I look forward to reading everything that comes from their fertile imaginations.
Here we have Zev and La La, professional practitioners of home burglaries -- a father and daughter who on one level could be described as rascals, justifying their home thieving as not hurting anyone personally and affording them a modest living. Both have deep seated hopeless love for Elissa, La La's departed mother. As the book begins, La La has quit the family business to study veterinary medicine thanks to her unique ability as an animal empath, meaning she feels pain an animal may be experiencing. But after Zev's luck runs out and he faces serious jail time, La La feels she has to make as much money as possible to pay the best lawyer she knows. This is such a beautiful examination of connections but not in a cliched way. And there are passages and situations that are truly heartbreaking not to mention miraculous.
Making bad decisions for noble reasons seems to be a common device in current fiction, but as their story progresses, the reader can't help but root for these two. And their pets as well as the pets of others.
Here we have Zev and La La, professional practitioners of home burglaries -- a father and daughter who on one level could be described as rascals, justifying their home thieving as not hurting anyone personally and affording them a modest living. Both have deep seated hopeless love for Elissa, La La's departed mother. As the book begins, La La has quit the family business to study veterinary medicine thanks to her unique ability as an animal empath, meaning she feels pain an animal may be experiencing. But after Zev's luck runs out and he faces serious jail time, La La feels she has to make as much money as possible to pay the best lawyer she knows. This is such a beautiful examination of connections but not in a cliched way. And there are passages and situations that are truly heartbreaking not to mention miraculous.
Making bad decisions for noble reasons seems to be a common device in current fiction, but as their story progresses, the reader can't help but root for these two. And their pets as well as the pets of others.
July 15, 2020
This book was just meh for me. The concept of La La being an animal empath was really cool, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story, but that is where my list of things I liked ends. Her father drove me insane. He is so selfish. He pulled his daughter out of school (yet somehow she still goes on to get into veterinary school?) so she could help him steal from people's homes, he refuses to tell La La anything about her mother, he lets her continue to break the law and risk everything she has worked for because he got caught, and then when things get tough he just takes her childhood cat and disappears without a word. I also hated that Clem was so judgmental and then moved on so quickly. They had been together for a long time and were engaged, then he just has a new girlfriend right after they break up?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2020
I loved Maizes’ book of short stories, We Love Anderson Cooper, and so have been awaiting her first novel with great anticipation. My copy of Other People’s Pets arrived Tuesday. Only the fact that I had several appointments/errands on Tuesday kept me from finishing it until Wednesday. It is the kind of book you don’t want to put down once you pick it up.
The story itself is totally engaging – an animal empath, abandoned by her mother and raised as a burgler by her father – what’s not to find interesting in that! La La, even when she is making bad (or at least questionable) decisions, is a compelling character, and it is hard not to feel for her losses, even those she has a hand in creating.
And Maizes is just a beautiful writer. She is a master at describing things in a way that make it easy to visualize, and the prose flows.
A wonderful debut novel and I will be looking forward to more!
The story itself is totally engaging – an animal empath, abandoned by her mother and raised as a burgler by her father – what’s not to find interesting in that! La La, even when she is making bad (or at least questionable) decisions, is a compelling character, and it is hard not to feel for her losses, even those she has a hand in creating.
And Maizes is just a beautiful writer. She is a master at describing things in a way that make it easy to visualize, and the prose flows.
A wonderful debut novel and I will be looking forward to more!
March 2, 2020
This book moves from LaLa Fine's point of view to that of her father Zev, but it is mostly LaLa's story. LaLa, a vet student, is an animal empath (able to sense the thoughts and feelings of animals), who seems more in tune with animals than with people. Perhaps that's because her mother abandoned the family when LaLa was young, and her father raised her to be a burglar! What makes a good parent? And what constitutes a normal life? This book tells a fast-paced crime story while also exploring these deeper themes in lyrical, literary prose.
April 2, 2020
Such a fantastic read from a highly gifted writer. An animal empath? A person (in this case, the character La La, a veterinary student) directly feels both the physical and emotional ailments of animals she crosses path with. What an excellent conceit for a character, and so much fun to read. As readers of Maizes’s short story collection, "We Love Anderson Cooper," will recognize, Maizes writes with a tongue in cheek manner. It’s not all comic, and it’s not all tragic. It lands somewhere in between, and that’s what makes the writing so pleasurable, fun, and engaging. An animal empath and an accomplice to her thief of a father, the set up allows for all manner of high jinks to ensue. But in Maizes’s capable hands, it never becomes too much or overdone. She manages to keep an even tone throughout, again between the comic and the tragic. The reader roots for both La La and her criminal father, to solve their problems and to lead calmer, happier, more fulfilling lives. The journey Maizes leads the reader on while La La and Zev attempt to achieve their goals is one we can all identify with. Maizes brings a lovely if magical humanity to her characters and her story. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me a review copy.
Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me a review copy.
March 20, 2020
R.L. Maizes’s Other People’s Pets is an imaginative story that follows the life of La La Fine, an animal empath who senses and directly channels the emotions and pain of animals. La La puts her exceptional gift to work early on in life, when she becomes her father’s partner in crime and on-again-off-again thief.
Though she relates deeply with animals, La La is ill-equipped yet desperate to find lasting human connections. Maizes takes you on a fascinating exploration of family, intimacy, abandonment issues, and feelings of isolation. As with her collection of short stories, Maizes delivers captivating narrative and insightful character development in her debut novel.
Other People’s Pets is an engrossing read that will relentlessly fascinate you until its finish.
Though she relates deeply with animals, La La is ill-equipped yet desperate to find lasting human connections. Maizes takes you on a fascinating exploration of family, intimacy, abandonment issues, and feelings of isolation. As with her collection of short stories, Maizes delivers captivating narrative and insightful character development in her debut novel.
Other People’s Pets is an engrossing read that will relentlessly fascinate you until its finish.
March 25, 2020
I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
That being said: I couldn't put this book down. Maizes' writing is spare and focused, and her concise, clear style commands the book's tension from the prologue. The action focuses on La La, a (sometimes) veterinary student and animal empath with a penchant for burglary. She's a thief who pauses to tend wounded pets and comfort frightened children. When her father finds himself in growing legal trouble, La La feels compelled to rely on old habits to save him. And as her troubles mount, she must choose between past obligations and current loyalties. Throughout the novel, she confronts both the gifts and the burdens her family has bestowed upon her, and she raises questions that will stay with readers far beyond the book—what do we owe each other, and what do we owe ourselves?
Maizes has crafted an energetic, fast-paced story that plumbs the losses we carry and the second chances we allow ourselves. Enjoy!
That being said: I couldn't put this book down. Maizes' writing is spare and focused, and her concise, clear style commands the book's tension from the prologue. The action focuses on La La, a (sometimes) veterinary student and animal empath with a penchant for burglary. She's a thief who pauses to tend wounded pets and comfort frightened children. When her father finds himself in growing legal trouble, La La feels compelled to rely on old habits to save him. And as her troubles mount, she must choose between past obligations and current loyalties. Throughout the novel, she confronts both the gifts and the burdens her family has bestowed upon her, and she raises questions that will stay with readers far beyond the book—what do we owe each other, and what do we owe ourselves?
Maizes has crafted an energetic, fast-paced story that plumbs the losses we carry and the second chances we allow ourselves. Enjoy!
March 24, 2020
Abandoned by her mother, Louise (La La) Fine joins her dad in the family business: burglarizing houses. She has the extraordinary gift of empathy with animals which makes her an invaluable accomplice: she quiets the watch dog while her dad empties the house of its valuables. La La grows up without friends or schoolmates because her dad fears she may divulge their activities. She is a veterinarian student when her dad is arrested, and she sees no other choice but to take up burglarizing to pay for his legal fees. Such is the captivating premise for this fast-paced novel with surprising plot twists and emotional energy. It exposes deception and disappointments with humans balanced with a few satisfying connections, but highlights unwavering trust and abiding love with animals. Look for its launch July 14, 2020 and enjoy a delightful, sometimes thrilling, story of loss, treachery, devotion, and redemption.
July 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this book!
I don't really know about animal empaths, but the concept really intrigued me. We follow the main character, Lala, who was abandoned by her mother at a young age and raised by her father, who was a burglar and would take her on jobs with him. He pulled her out of school and home schooled her, so she wouldn't let it slip what he did for a living.
It shows what affect this has on her and her relationships as she grows up, isolated from everyone. It made me feel sad for her a bit, and what she put up with from other people. She just wanted what normal people had.
I did find myself getting frustrated with the people in her lives and how they treated her, and even some of her choices....though I understood where she was coming from. I really enjoyed this book and the story.
I don't really know about animal empaths, but the concept really intrigued me. We follow the main character, Lala, who was abandoned by her mother at a young age and raised by her father, who was a burglar and would take her on jobs with him. He pulled her out of school and home schooled her, so she wouldn't let it slip what he did for a living.
It shows what affect this has on her and her relationships as she grows up, isolated from everyone. It made me feel sad for her a bit, and what she put up with from other people. She just wanted what normal people had.
I did find myself getting frustrated with the people in her lives and how they treated her, and even some of her choices....though I understood where she was coming from. I really enjoyed this book and the story.
May 25, 2020
I had a hard time engaging in this book and the characters. I liked the main character, La La, and thought her story was interesting and what she was doing with the animals. The animals were, for me, the best part of the book. The story of La La being abandoned at a young age by her mother and then having to drop out of vet school to pay for her father's bail was sad, but it does show the length some will go for their family.
Overall, this was a mediocre read for me, but it did have some good qualities.
Overall, this was a mediocre read for me, but it did have some good qualities.
July 28, 2020
Imaginative, easy reading, R.L. Maizes gives us the joy of unusual characters in Other People’s Pets. LaLa is the daughter of a thief. Her father, Zev, works as a locksmith by day, but in the evenings he breaks into homes and steals their valuables. When LaLa’s mother ran out on them, Zev started taking LaLa with him on burglary jobs, teaching her the ropes. He turned to homeschooling and allowed her only limited exposure to other people to ensure their secret stayed between them. Zev’s love for his daughter is genuine, and she loves her father, too. LaLa cares for a cat her mother secretly left for her, and it becomes clear that LaLa has an extraordinary gift. She is an animal empath – she is drawn to animals and can feel what they feel.
“Domesticated animals have survived by understanding humans. What’s more unusual is to find a human who understands animals.”
LaLa’s talent was very helpful when the father daughter team approached houses to break-in to and other people’s pets were inside.
15 years later LaLa is doing honest work as a vet tech while finishing up vet school when her father is arrested. She feels responsible for paying his lawyer’s fees and her only solution to coming up with the money is to get back into the burglary business her father taught her as a kid.
R.L. Maizes has given us the gift of wonderfully flawed father daughter characters, both with difficult childhoods, odd stress management tactics and incredible skill beyond the norm. Whether it is picking locks or diagnosing animal ailments, the adventures and happenings these two experienced kept me turning pages, and I even shed a tear or two. .
R.L. Maizes touches upon lots of interesting and unique ideas in Other People’s Pets, like robbing a house but at a the same time helping the pets, feeling the emotions and pain of animals, stress management techniques like obsessive cleaning or repeating lists of medical terms; her writing is always captivating and innovative. I find Maizes characters intriguing and oddly wonderful, and I highly recommend this refreshing and thought provoking novel. I have to admit, I won’t look at my dog the same way again! Author Q & A can be found at Book Nation by Jen https://booknationbyjen.com/2020/07/1...
“Domesticated animals have survived by understanding humans. What’s more unusual is to find a human who understands animals.”
LaLa’s talent was very helpful when the father daughter team approached houses to break-in to and other people’s pets were inside.
15 years later LaLa is doing honest work as a vet tech while finishing up vet school when her father is arrested. She feels responsible for paying his lawyer’s fees and her only solution to coming up with the money is to get back into the burglary business her father taught her as a kid.
R.L. Maizes has given us the gift of wonderfully flawed father daughter characters, both with difficult childhoods, odd stress management tactics and incredible skill beyond the norm. Whether it is picking locks or diagnosing animal ailments, the adventures and happenings these two experienced kept me turning pages, and I even shed a tear or two. .
R.L. Maizes touches upon lots of interesting and unique ideas in Other People’s Pets, like robbing a house but at a the same time helping the pets, feeling the emotions and pain of animals, stress management techniques like obsessive cleaning or repeating lists of medical terms; her writing is always captivating and innovative. I find Maizes characters intriguing and oddly wonderful, and I highly recommend this refreshing and thought provoking novel. I have to admit, I won’t look at my dog the same way again! Author Q & A can be found at Book Nation by Jen https://booknationbyjen.com/2020/07/1...
September 22, 2020
Firstly, I would give this book 3.5 stars where it possible; however, I just didn’t like it enough to justify giving it 4.
I picked up Other People’s Pets on a whim at the library, solely based off the blurb. I thought it sounded intriguing and different. Unfortunately, I had a harder time getting into it than expected with the writing style coming across as very matter-of-fact and dry, and feeling decidedly emotionless to me. The limited dialogue didn’t help the matter either, and long chapters, particularly at the beginning, added to that dragging-on feeling.
I found the main character hard to enjoy or engage with - for starters her (nick)name is very hard to take seriously; I found myself constantly distracted by it. She is so completely immature, whiny, and frustrating that I couldn’t wait get the book over with. I found her “happy ending” arrived too little, too late. She didn’t grow as a character, but everything just suddenly gets better in the last few pages - unrealistic - and she doesn’t solve her problem or beat her battles, they all just get forgotten or left behind - anticlimactic.
The focus on her father’s life in the second half of the book seemed odd to me, as well. He wasn’t the focus of the book, so spending so much time and detail on him felt out of place and as though it was distracting from the real plot line.
I can’t say I’m not dissatisfied, as I was really looking forward to this. It just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.
I picked up Other People’s Pets on a whim at the library, solely based off the blurb. I thought it sounded intriguing and different. Unfortunately, I had a harder time getting into it than expected with the writing style coming across as very matter-of-fact and dry, and feeling decidedly emotionless to me. The limited dialogue didn’t help the matter either, and long chapters, particularly at the beginning, added to that dragging-on feeling.
I found the main character hard to enjoy or engage with - for starters her (nick)name is very hard to take seriously; I found myself constantly distracted by it. She is so completely immature, whiny, and frustrating that I couldn’t wait get the book over with. I found her “happy ending” arrived too little, too late. She didn’t grow as a character, but everything just suddenly gets better in the last few pages - unrealistic - and she doesn’t solve her problem or beat her battles, they all just get forgotten or left behind - anticlimactic.
The focus on her father’s life in the second half of the book seemed odd to me, as well. He wasn’t the focus of the book, so spending so much time and detail on him felt out of place and as though it was distracting from the real plot line.
I can’t say I’m not dissatisfied, as I was really looking forward to this. It just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.
August 29, 2020
This was a Celadon book that just randomly showed up at my house and I am always overjoyed to see them. Who doesn't love a surprise coming in the mail? Our main characters are basically LaLa and her father, Zev. Her father is a locksmith by trade but at night, he breaks into other people's houses. As a child LaLa had an accident where she was saved by a dog and after that time, she can understand and feel what they feel. When her father understood that, he started taking her on jobs with him so he would know if there was a dog inside that might rat him out as he was breaking in. Her mother leaves them because she cannot stand being married to a thief and because she never really wanted to be a mother in the first place. When her father gets caught, LaLa starts breaking into houses again so she can help with the lawyer fees and ends up losing her fiance because of it. I guess like father, like daughter. Ultimately I really liked the book because it has characters that learn and grow and it involves an animal empath, which I am not sure I have ever seen in a book before. I would recommend it to animal lovers and people like me who just love a good story.
December 19, 2022
Many of the themes hit really close to home: abandonment issues, parent issues in general, loving animals more than people. Can't say my family has ever been involved in burglaries but otherwise related to the characters so much. The last 50 or so pages broke my heart though.
April 21, 2023
I have a few very disconnected thoughts on this book, so I shall review in LIST FORM.
1. If my FIANCÉ broke up with me and then was dating someone else 2 months later, I’d have a LOOOOOT of questions about the relationship and whether I could truly trust this person. LaLa’s constant obsession with him even after all that made me a little nuts.
2. I wish things had worked out for the dad. He was so likable and I was rooting for him!!
3. F the mom on SO many levels. You don’t just get to decide that being a parent “isn’t for you” EIGHT YEARS after you’ve had a child.
4. Very happy to have found this completely by chance in the bookstore last weekend because I don’t think I would have come across it any other way, and I really enjoyed it!
1. If my FIANCÉ broke up with me and then was dating someone else 2 months later, I’d have a LOOOOOT of questions about the relationship and whether I could truly trust this person. LaLa’s constant obsession with him even after all that made me a little nuts.
2. I wish things had worked out for the dad. He was so likable and I was rooting for him!!
3. F the mom on SO many levels. You don’t just get to decide that being a parent “isn’t for you” EIGHT YEARS after you’ve had a child.
4. Very happy to have found this completely by chance in the bookstore last weekend because I don’t think I would have come across it any other way, and I really enjoyed it!
October 12, 2020
An entertaining listen. Should have know I would get sad about Bolide. I feel like I would want to possess the ability to be in tune with animals on that crazy level; on the other hand, it might be too much. I would probably end up doing more than just robbing people.
May 11, 2023
La La Fine almost died when she was a child; she had fallen through ice, and was rescued by a black dog when near death. Interestingly, her mother, who had been with her on the outing, had been slow to find help, and was excoriated for her seeming lack of care. After constant vituperation, La La's mother left La La and her husband Zev, a locksmith/thief.
La La is saddened by her mother's leaving, but also gains a strange ability after her near drowning: she can sense the pain of animals.
Zev begins taking La La with him on his robberies, and ends up financing her schooling and eventual training to become a vet. La La and Zev's relationship gradually strains under their shared history of robbery, and an incident in their past that almost sent Zev to jail when she was a teen.
This is background for an unusual and compelling story of a young woman who is saddled with major financial obligations after Zev is arrested and requires legal representation.
With the experience gained with her father, La La begins entering homes to steal, but there's a twist; she only enters those where she can sense an animal in pain. Bringing her vet bag with her, she treats the ailing animal, then takes various small items that she knows she can quickly divest for cash.
Along the way, her relationship with her boyfriend falls apart, and with the increasing strain of trying to get enough cash to pay the lawyer, La La decides to try to find her mother.
The book seems like it shouldn't work, but it does, beautifully. Everyone is flawed, and La La and Zev's relationship is also, as it's filled with love and resentment and obligation. The idea that La La is an animal empath is also something that shouldn't work, but does thanks to the skill of the wsriter.
IT's a story filled with flawed or bad decisions, but also kindness and love. And La La's two dogs are wonderful.
La La is saddened by her mother's leaving, but also gains a strange ability after her near drowning: she can sense the pain of animals.
Zev begins taking La La with him on his robberies, and ends up financing her schooling and eventual training to become a vet. La La and Zev's relationship gradually strains under their shared history of robbery, and an incident in their past that almost sent Zev to jail when she was a teen.
This is background for an unusual and compelling story of a young woman who is saddled with major financial obligations after Zev is arrested and requires legal representation.
With the experience gained with her father, La La begins entering homes to steal, but there's a twist; she only enters those where she can sense an animal in pain. Bringing her vet bag with her, she treats the ailing animal, then takes various small items that she knows she can quickly divest for cash.
Along the way, her relationship with her boyfriend falls apart, and with the increasing strain of trying to get enough cash to pay the lawyer, La La decides to try to find her mother.
The book seems like it shouldn't work, but it does, beautifully. Everyone is flawed, and La La and Zev's relationship is also, as it's filled with love and resentment and obligation. The idea that La La is an animal empath is also something that shouldn't work, but does thanks to the skill of the wsriter.
IT's a story filled with flawed or bad decisions, but also kindness and love. And La La's two dogs are wonderful.
July 30, 2020
(3.5) Louise “La La” Fine and her father, Zev, share an unusual profession: While outwardly they are a veterinary student and a locksmith, respectively, for many years they broke into homes and sold the stolen goods. Despite close shaves, they’ve always gotten away with it – until now. When Zev is arrested, La La decides to return to her criminal ways just long enough to raise the money to post bail for him. But she doesn’t reckon on a few complications, like her father getting fed up with house arrest, her fiancé finding out about her side hustle, and her animal empathy becoming so strong that when she goes into a house she not only pilfers valuables but also cares for the needs of ailing pets inside.
Flashbacks to La La’s growing-up years, especially her hurt over her mother leaving, take this deeper than your average humorous crime caper. The way the plot branches means that for quite a while Zev and La La are separated, and I grew a bit weary of extended time in Zev’s company, but this was a great summer read – especially for animal lovers – that never lost my attention. The magic realism of the human‒pet connection is believable and mild enough not to turn off readers who avoid fantasy. Think The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley meets Hollow Kingdom.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Flashbacks to La La’s growing-up years, especially her hurt over her mother leaving, take this deeper than your average humorous crime caper. The way the plot branches means that for quite a while Zev and La La are separated, and I grew a bit weary of extended time in Zev’s company, but this was a great summer read – especially for animal lovers – that never lost my attention. The magic realism of the human‒pet connection is believable and mild enough not to turn off readers who avoid fantasy. Think The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley meets Hollow Kingdom.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
May 18, 2020
Other People’s Pets, R.L. Maize’s first novel, is original and quirky in the best way possible. The main character, Lala, isn’t great with people. But she has a gift with animals, is in fact an animal empath. In her final year in vet school Lala finds herself in a predicament – her father, an unabashed thief – needs money. Lala chooses to assist him in robbing homes but with a twist, she treats distressed animals before leaving the burgled house.
Maizes poses gentle questions about rectifying our past and rationalizing the choices we make. It is a quiet triumph and the perfect read for anyone seeking connection with deftly crafted characters that are complex yet relatable.
Maizes poses gentle questions about rectifying our past and rationalizing the choices we make. It is a quiet triumph and the perfect read for anyone seeking connection with deftly crafted characters that are complex yet relatable.
July 15, 2020
Her deep love and empathetic understanding of animals is what keeps La La Fine together. She certainly has had her share of hardships in her life including a mother who left because she just didn't want to be a mother. Her father, Zev, taught her the family business of burglary. Working as a vet tech while studying to be a vet, she is "forced" back into a life of crime to get money to give her father's lawyer. As she burgles, she tends to the animals of her victims. Overall, an enjoyable read about another dysfunctional family but with some really sad moments. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read
April 11, 2020Unfortunately, I never really got into this book. It felt like a YA book to me and I struggled through the first half for over a week and finally gave up. Possibly I'm just having trouble concentrating right now with all that's going on. I absolutely loved this author's first book, which was a collection of short stories. I did enjoy that the main character was an animal empath but it wasn't enough to save the book. I won't rate the book as I didn't finish it. So sorry, Ms. Maizes.
March 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this unique story with lovable characters and their relationships with each other and their four footed family members. It's the story about an animal empath and the lengths she will go to help out her father who raised her the best way he could after her mother took off when she was very young.
April 14, 2020
*I was given an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review*
Other People’s Pets is a page turning story of love, loss, abandonment and ... burglary. The story explores La la’s attachment to animals and her struggle attaching to people. She yearns for connection with her fiancé Clem, even as she does things she knows will push him away, and she cannot let go of her obligations to her imperfect but caring father Zev, even as everyone in her life tells her she’s done enough.
I found the world of burglarizing houses to be fascinating and well-researched, which made the story all the more entertaining and authentic. I also thought it was a great writing feat to have us rooting for the burglars to get away with everything.
La la and Zev both narrate this story, the two points of view giving the tale richness and depth. They both nurse the wounds caused by La la’s mother in private, separate ways but this well of hurt also gives them an undeniable, tender bond that touches the heart.
Other People’s Pets is a page turning story of love, loss, abandonment and ... burglary. The story explores La la’s attachment to animals and her struggle attaching to people. She yearns for connection with her fiancé Clem, even as she does things she knows will push him away, and she cannot let go of her obligations to her imperfect but caring father Zev, even as everyone in her life tells her she’s done enough.
I found the world of burglarizing houses to be fascinating and well-researched, which made the story all the more entertaining and authentic. I also thought it was a great writing feat to have us rooting for the burglars to get away with everything.
La la and Zev both narrate this story, the two points of view giving the tale richness and depth. They both nurse the wounds caused by La la’s mother in private, separate ways but this well of hurt also gives them an undeniable, tender bond that touches the heart.
April 18, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed entering La La's and her father Zev's worlds as I read Other People's Pets at the beginning of these trying times. Such a creative, imaginative premise that engaged me and had me rooting for both of the main characters as they made their way through their own problems and situations to fitting resolutions at the end.
Animal lovers will like this book as the author's connection to animals and their importance in our lives comes through.
Animal lovers will like this book as the author's connection to animals and their importance in our lives comes through.
August 28, 2020
I really enjoyed OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS and finished it in one afternoon and evening. Maizes is not a wasteful writer and the book is succinct, entertaining, and crisp with a subtle sense of humor. But while there is a sense of humor in Maizes' writing, the book is not a satire. The story is about family and sometimes you get what you get. After all, someone has to get the short end of the stick so it was certainly La La's fate. She was shorted for sure with her parents, what with her father being a burglar and thief and her mother, no mother at all, having run away when she was eight. Now in her fourth year of Vet school, she has to drop out to help her father, her boyfriend has broken up with her and she just can't get a firm grip on the idea that the relationship was over, and her dog dies. KICK THIS GIRL IN THE TEETH!
The book is about what you will do for your family, grief, faith, and resiliency with a little bit of lock pickin' and burglary thrown in.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
The book is about what you will do for your family, grief, faith, and resiliency with a little bit of lock pickin' and burglary thrown in.
4 stars
Happy Reading!
September 30, 2020
Although it was a little corny, I enjoyed this unusual story of a young woman dealing with her failed parenting and of her empathy for animals. Kept me quite interested.
July 2, 2020
Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Only R.L. Maizes would have thought to combine burglary with animal empaths. And she does just that in her sparkling, feel-good novel, Other People’s Pets. (Publishing on 14 July 2020.) I loved her 2019 short story collection, so I’m not surprised I feel the same way about this book.
At the center of this story is La La (short for Louise) Fine, a young woman in veterinary school. She lives with her chiropractor fiancé, and dotes on her dogs, Black and Blue. Then her dad gets arrested at work, which is burglary. La La needs solutions to the legal and bail bond costs. And she needs them yesterday.
In addition to spinning the web La La is currently caught in, Maizes also jumps back to her childhood. And a unique one it was. La La’s mom left the family when she was just a kid, after an accident involving a lake, thin ice, and a black Lab. On that day, young La La realizes she’s an animal empath, meaning she can feel what a nearby animal is feeling. Coincidentally, this makes her the perfect assistant for her dad’s burglary endeavors.
So, as we switch from past to current day, La La grapples with how to help her dad. She also find that the ache for her mother has reached a fever pitch. Suddenly, she stands to add the loss of her dad’s presence to her already absent mother. The potential orphan pain is a strong motivator. Plus, La La and her sweetie are at odds on the best way to help her dad. All of a sudden, La La’s primary relationships start heading south.
My conclusions
It sounds like La La is a hot mess, right? And she is. Even so, Maizes keeps it funny and light and, for me, that makes it a great book. She never shies away from the intense emotions—loss, fear, loneliness. Still, the writing is so gentle and warm that I never got depressed. Instead, everything pushed me to root for LaLa like my life depended on it. As a result, I sped through this medium-length book like a burglar running from the scene of the crime.
The supporting characters are strong, especially the BFF, sweetie, papa, and pets. This is a perfect book for animal lovers. The creatures in La La’s life add so much joy to this reading experience.
Maizes keeps the two timelines—current and past—moving swiftly along and coordinated in their themes. There’s no artifice in distinguishing between the story lines. La La is a thinker, analyzing events and feelings because past and future are colliding.
Maizes could have turned this into an overly sweet and schmaltzy story. It isn’t even slightly close to that saccharine possibility. It’s just good old-fashioned crisp and crackling good writing. I’ll be thinking about La La and her life for a while to come.
I recommend this if you like character studies with feeling and an absorbing, fast-moving plot. It’d also make a good summer book club book, if your group hasn’t already chosen for the next few months.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Only R.L. Maizes would have thought to combine burglary with animal empaths. And she does just that in her sparkling, feel-good novel, Other People’s Pets. (Publishing on 14 July 2020.) I loved her 2019 short story collection, so I’m not surprised I feel the same way about this book.
At the center of this story is La La (short for Louise) Fine, a young woman in veterinary school. She lives with her chiropractor fiancé, and dotes on her dogs, Black and Blue. Then her dad gets arrested at work, which is burglary. La La needs solutions to the legal and bail bond costs. And she needs them yesterday.
In addition to spinning the web La La is currently caught in, Maizes also jumps back to her childhood. And a unique one it was. La La’s mom left the family when she was just a kid, after an accident involving a lake, thin ice, and a black Lab. On that day, young La La realizes she’s an animal empath, meaning she can feel what a nearby animal is feeling. Coincidentally, this makes her the perfect assistant for her dad’s burglary endeavors.
So, as we switch from past to current day, La La grapples with how to help her dad. She also find that the ache for her mother has reached a fever pitch. Suddenly, she stands to add the loss of her dad’s presence to her already absent mother. The potential orphan pain is a strong motivator. Plus, La La and her sweetie are at odds on the best way to help her dad. All of a sudden, La La’s primary relationships start heading south.
My conclusions
It sounds like La La is a hot mess, right? And she is. Even so, Maizes keeps it funny and light and, for me, that makes it a great book. She never shies away from the intense emotions—loss, fear, loneliness. Still, the writing is so gentle and warm that I never got depressed. Instead, everything pushed me to root for LaLa like my life depended on it. As a result, I sped through this medium-length book like a burglar running from the scene of the crime.
The supporting characters are strong, especially the BFF, sweetie, papa, and pets. This is a perfect book for animal lovers. The creatures in La La’s life add so much joy to this reading experience.
Maizes keeps the two timelines—current and past—moving swiftly along and coordinated in their themes. There’s no artifice in distinguishing between the story lines. La La is a thinker, analyzing events and feelings because past and future are colliding.
Maizes could have turned this into an overly sweet and schmaltzy story. It isn’t even slightly close to that saccharine possibility. It’s just good old-fashioned crisp and crackling good writing. I’ll be thinking about La La and her life for a while to come.
I recommend this if you like character studies with feeling and an absorbing, fast-moving plot. It’d also make a good summer book club book, if your group hasn’t already chosen for the next few months.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
July 14, 2020
Have you ever felt like you knew exactly what your pet was thinking or feeling? Ok we all know about Pep and her expressions, but this book takes it so much further with La La, who is known as an animal empath, someone who feels what an animal is going through when they are close to them. Hungry cat? La La's stomach growls as well. Hurt knee? You guessed it, La La’s knee will also hurt. So she takes the obvious path of going to veterinary school and is doing well, leaving behind a past of what you ask? Burglary! Umm, WHAT?! She was abandoned by her mom, raised by her dad who’s profession was thievery, and so she helped him growing up, as one does. When he gets into a bit of a pickle, she starts helping him again the only way she knows how, by going back into the family business. However this time, she justifies it by helping the animals in the home that she robs. A little TLC before she leaves, if you will.
This was such a unique book that was told from the POV of both La La and her father, and I loved how they worked through trying to start over, while continuing to fall prey to their old habits. La La is also processing being abandoned by her mother, and working through that has its own set of issues as well. This was a very sweet story, even though they were committing crimes, and I really enjoyed this so much and recommend it. However you will need tissues, read into that what you will.
Heartwarming and endearing, I enjoyed this one very much. It is out today, and I recommend you check it out! Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the e-arc to review. Synopsis in comments.
This was such a unique book that was told from the POV of both La La and her father, and I loved how they worked through trying to start over, while continuing to fall prey to their old habits. La La is also processing being abandoned by her mother, and working through that has its own set of issues as well. This was a very sweet story, even though they were committing crimes, and I really enjoyed this so much and recommend it. However you will need tissues, read into that what you will.
Heartwarming and endearing, I enjoyed this one very much. It is out today, and I recommend you check it out! Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the e-arc to review. Synopsis in comments.
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