5.0

I received a copy of this e-book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about reading a book about a pandemic in the middle of a pandemic - I thought it might hit a little too close to home. Instead it was the perfect mix of relatable yet different from the current pandemic (maybe because this book was conceived of before the real life pandemic according to the acknowledgements?) I really related to the main character and the hunger for human / skin-to-skin contact. The writing was excellent. And I recognized Nova Scotia even before I realized the author was originally from here. Fascinating, thought-provoking and compulsively readable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. The first part of the story had me really resonating with the main character. The author does a wonderful job of invoking feeling for said character and does a good job of making you think about how life might not be so different had the Covid 19 restrictions been left in place for over a decade.

I really enjoyed the main characters development throughout the story. As well as the exploration of the human struggle and need for touch, it’s very impressive how the author managed to make me feel things/ feel like I was one with the main character in regards to how she felt about the societal restrictions.

This story felt eerily close to come in numerous aspects which I suppose is why I had such a hard time putting it down. I did find I had to take a breather after every chapter to try and soak in what was going on, as well as try and remind myself that it’s just a story 😂. However it also continued to spur me finish reading because I NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!

Having found out this author started writing this in 2009 it makes it all that much unsettling that she hit the nail on the head with so many aspects of post pandemic life. The way society reacts to having strict restrictions in place is somewhat believable. Again the similarities between the restrictions and post Covid life are very creepy.

5/5 stars! I will be recommending this book to anyone I know that wants to explore the life of society a decade post pandemic.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley. This has not impacted my review.

Reading this book in the midst of a pandemic was a weird and welcome experience. I know for some people it was very confronting but I found the concept of a pandemic book satisfying to escape our lived pandemic into a speculative one. I really liked the concept of a society that was so deprived of touch that it lead to weird social norms and customs but I really did not feel the pacing or characters in this book. Ultimately I did not finish this during the pre-release window - I always intended to come back to it to finish and provide a complete and honest review but with so many great books on my TBR I just couldn't justify returning to a book I wasn't feeling.

This was a one star read for me. I just couldn't get into it. I think it was just not my cup of tea. I would still recommend to other readers who may be more interested in the writing style.

Definitely an incredibly unique read. Covert provides us with wonderfully sensual imagery and a plot that hits close to home in light of current events. This dystopian post pandemic novel starts off strong but seems to lose focus thereafter. The unique concept was appreciated but a tighter story line would have greatly improved this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

K. S. Covert

The Petting Zoos

Dundurn Press, 2022, 356 pages.

La pandémie a fait de certains d’entre nous des connaisseurs en matière de masques, gels hydroalcooliques et statistiques médicales. Même ceux qui aspirent plus que tout à un retour à la normale retiendront peut-être de l’épidémie quelques réflexes et inconforts qui se manifesteront à contretemps dans les transports en commun ou les rencontres de groupe. Et c’est justement le sujet du premier roman de l’ancienne journaliste d’Ottawa, K. S. Covert.

Dans The Petting Zoos, l’autrice a imaginé une pandémie de grippe H9N9 bien plus meurtrière que la Covid-19 et elle a commencé à rédiger l’histoire d’une survivante traumatisée, Lily King, dès 2009. Dans le monde post-apocalyptique du roman, il a fallu dix ans pour que la situation se stabilise et les mesures sanitaires ont laissé des traces. Lily a vécu dans le plus grand isolement après avoir été infectée. Elle n’a embrassé personne, n’a été touchée par personne et a même évité le plus possible les contacts avec son propre corps. En retournant au travail, elle obtient des séances de thérapie tactile (pas tout à fait des massages) afin de combler ce manque. Cette longue privation du premier des sens en affecte d’autres, qui ne se contentent pas des séances subventionnées d’attouchements thérapeutiques et qui fréquentent des « petting zoos » clandestins.

En anglais, ce terme désigne un zoo pour enfants, qui présente des animaux susceptibles d’être câlinés et flattés par de jeunes visiteurs. Au sens propre, il pourrait se traduire par « zoo de câlinage », avec tout ce que cela suggère de doux et tendres préliminaires. Dans le roman, le terme s’étend à toute une gamme de lieux clandestins où il est possible de se faire toucher et de toucher les autres, dans le noir parfois ou avec des bandeaux sur les yeux, avec ou sans pièces de vêtements, en allant jusqu’aux relations les plus intimes – en public.

L’héroïne de Covert ne recherche pas seulement les contacts humains. L’épidémie de H9N9 a aussi entraîné le bannissement des tapis et de nombreux textiles, sous prétexte que le virus se niche dans les fibres. La privation sensorielle est devenue une torture multi-dimensionnelle, mais la solitude de Lily reflète aussi la disparition de 90 % de la population planétaire. Malgré ce contexte post-apocalyptique, il serait plus juste de parler d’une ambiance d’après-guerre puisqu’il n’y a pas eu d’effondrement en tant que tel. Le retour à la vie de Lily reflète par conséquent le retour à la normale d’une société ravagée, mais encore debout. Des expériences routinières, comme rendre visite à un salon de coiffure, ne sont plus si ordinaires pour Lily après dix ans de quasi-enfermement.

Covert signe donc l’exploration psychologique d’une situation et d’un contexte qui auraient été à peine concevables il y a dix ans, mais qui toucheront nettement plus les lecteurs actuels. Après la découverte initiale des « petting zoos » par Lily, l’intrigue ralentit et se délaie dans les conversations, avant d’être relancée par l’histoire d’amour qui se développe et qui se terminera de manière un peu inattendue sur la possibilité pleinement assumée d’un ménage à trois.

En nous transportant dans un autre univers post-pandémique, le roman de Covert nous révèle nos propres expériences sous un nouveau jour. C’est tout l’intérêt du cadeau que nous fait la science-fiction en imaginant des versions distinctes de la réalité, susceptibles de servir de pierre de touche pour nous rassurer ou nous inquiéter. L’ouvrage a ceci de rafraîchissant qu’il évite de s’attarder sur la pandémie en tant que telle, l’effondrement social ou la reconstruction de toute une société. Covert les relègue à l’arrière-plan pour se concentrer sur la reconstruction d’une femme, de sa personnalité et de sa sexualité, en racontant le tout d’une manière extrêmement abordable et non dénuée de profondeur.

Jean-Louis TRUDEL

A fantastic story set int he aftermath of a deadly pandemic where the world's survivors are anxious to leave the safety of their homes. Consequently, the government has issued a return-to-work mandate along with health clinics that offer touch therapy. The premise pulls in instantly and the relevance of every plot point with the current scenario of our world holds attention. The exploration of individual struggle, human tendencies, and the need to feel is impressive. But the monotonous writing leaves some aspects less engaging, leading to an emotional connect that is under delivered. Regardless, the story intrigues and the curiosity grips.

The plot for this really intrigued me. After going through the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought it would be fascinating to read a story based upon a more extreme version. That being said, I did struggle to get into the book as the storyline felt eerily too close to home. While the pandemic was much more devastating in the novel, it was not hard to draw parallels on envision how things could have developed such a way. All in all, the story itself was fascinating and really touches on the human's hierarchy of needs.

Thank you Dundurn Press & NetGalley for the ARC.

The Petting Zoos is set 10 years after a pandemic. Despite the fact that effective vaccines have been developed and the pandemic (Henny Penny) appears to be under control, the Regency government is still requiring gloves and face masks in public and many have continued to live in isolation. Our main character, Lily, is one such individual. She is just reentering the office after spending most of the last ten years isolating. As she starts back in office, her boss approaches her and asks her to write a story about the petting zoos. Operating underground, these petting zoos allow those starved of touch to interact with others, minus the masks and gloves and to feel skin on skin contact. The focus of our novel follows Lily learning more about the petting zoos and the great variety that exist. One of my favorite portions of the novel was watching Lily's growth. There were some spicy scenes, but I didn't find them to be overly graphic or outside of the bounds of what you would read in a typical romance novel. Such an interesting concept - I loved exploring this idea!

She started writing this book in 2009 and that is an important detail because it FREAKISHLY predicts the Covid-19 pandemic.

The premise is that people are living 10 years into a pandemic of a virus called H9N9 where people must wear masks, gloves, and social distance from each other. (!!!!!) Going so long without physical touch and intimacy, people start to go mad and thus begins an underground world of human petting zoos.

That's all I'm going to say because you really have to read it. The writing is incredible, the characters are fully fleshed out, the look at women's sexuality and desire, it's all so on point.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC to review. I really tried to get into it but I had to DNF it. I think it was hard to get into reading about something so reminiscent of the recent pandemic at this time.

DNF.

I tried but just couldn’t get into it.

Most likely just an unfortunate coincidence as some character names and experiences reminded me of personal stuff that did not motivate me to read more.

It’s an interesting setting and gives quite the extreme perspective on a post-pandemic world. Probably makes COVID-19 seem not so bad in comparison but also made it harder to relate as some of it was there but some of it was at a different level.

Worth a shot though!

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the author, the publishers, and the NetGalley team for providing me with an Advanced copy. I cherished this opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

I think I, along with other reader, expected something different from this one. There was honestly more to dislike than like, which is why it took me a while to review this. Was it a good book? No. It had an interesting premise which had great parallels to our current COVID-19 out breaks yet takes it a step further into the dystopian. However, this book does not explore those themes by choosing to focus on the sex clubs more often than not. It is understandable, the dimensions of takes one can have on physical touch as it is restricted in this universe but the way it turns out is more sexual than not, less nuanced.

Did I enjoy this book? Sadly not but thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn for the eARC.

This book has such an interesting premise with lots of parralels to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the author takes it a step further with the effects rumbling for a decade after it began. With people being isolated and starved of touch from other humans they begin to search out establishments that help scratch that itch in a plethora of different ways.
Initially I was intrigued by the exploration of people's need for touch and how far they would go to have their desires satiated, ultimately though this became all too seedy for me and was using the plot as a thinly veiled attempt to explore sex clubs. If this had been what it was about from the outset I would have DNF'd.
I thought it was one thing and it turned out to be something else.

Reading a novel about the aftermath of a deadly pandemic was tougher than I imagined - reading is often for escapism and it of course is very close to fresh wounds in our current climate. However after about 40% the story felt much more developed, interesting, different and darker. It explores an interesting concept of skin hunger after the deadly illness 'Henny Penny' has ravaged society 10 years ago. Everything is strictly controlled by a government called the 'Regency'. Main character Lily accepts an invitation to illegal 'petting zoos' for personal reasons and also as her editor requests a report on these underground illegal clubs.
Its definitely a journey of self discovery helped by the enigmatic 'zoo keeper' Kaz. Overall , after the first section which is heavy on terminology and familiar precautions, it becomes a lot more interesting and immersive and I enjoyed it more than expected. Thanks to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the arc.

This book made me feel all kinds of uncomfortable! Not because it is partially soft core porn, in fact I think she could have upped the ante! But hear me out…. A story about a woman living post pandemic where the world seems to be pretty much wiped out. This is NOT a COVID story. Ok so, people are getting back into the swing of things and because it has been ten years since the start of the pandemic our main lady has not been touched in quite some time, being that she lived in isolation. Of course like in any society, when you ban human natures’ desires to drink, do drugs or fuck, we seem to find a way! Petting Zoos are quietly opening up and it is this kind of underground place where you can go and touch or be touched. There are multiple levels starting from literally just massaging to full on orgys. The author does an exquisite job at explaining the human condition and how much we need intimacy for survival. The narrative is descriptive and multi sensory from the way she describes lust, affection, happiness, despair to everyday life like eating, shopping, or being outdoors. You will smell, hear, feel, see and taste your way through the story. My problem was the constant ickiness of the central romance and perhaps the pg-13 way the novel was approached. To me the tone was a little immature, for such a mature undertaking. I kind of felt like the entire rom com part could have been swiped out and focused solely on a woman’s exploration to find herself!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

Amazing! SO relevant for this time! Super intriguing and gave me chills. Def recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

Holy moly - what did I just read? IT WAS AMAZING! Imagine if the restrictions we have from Covid-19 continued for over a decade. That is similar to the setting in The Petting Zoos. Add in some further restrictions, including not being able to touch other people unless they are in your family. Lily has lived alone for a decade and when the return to work order is given she is also required to attend touch therapy because she lives alone and has for so long. This leads Lily to craving more than the touch therapy can deliver - she becomes interested in human petting zoos. It's a fascinating look at what could happen if restrictions continued or were slightly different. An incredible read with lots to discuss.

A decade after the pandemic inflicted world we are brought into the life, going back to normal with recent return-to-work in office mandate by the government with also the setting up of clinics being set up to offer touch therapy people as they have been deprived of touch for so long,
Our protagonist is a journalist who has having lived alone since the pandemic began, lost friends and family, returning to work and asked to write about these petting zoos.
Growing hunger in people for human contact increasingly erotic and coupled with all the anxieties of a recent virus spur.
Really interesting plot of this book, All our anxieties of recent pandemic induced past, as plausible as they can be, implored brilliantly.

I loved this book!
The premise is one that seems all to plausible in today's world, the protagonist is very human and likable, the supporting cast are intriguing and the villains are charming, beautiful and completely sociopathic.
This is a psychodrama for a world gone a little mad and it's well worth the read.