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reviews_and_ramblings
That Doesn't Belong Here"That Doesn’t Belong Here is far and away the best story I’ve read this year. On the border of young adult and new adult fiction, this is the story of Kato, an ‘impossible creature’, and of friendship and love. It’s also a stark allegory for every inhumanity humankind commits against those deemed ‘lesser humans’ and animals. I truly struggled to put this down even to sleep, and I sobbed my heart, but this is generally not a sad story. There is hope and there is humour, and Kato is such a brilliant, optimistic character. Levi is his opposite in many respects, but together they are…byouiful. This is the second novel by this author I’ve read, and in both cases, the entire cast of characters is richly developed, the pacing is excellent, the plot is sustained to the end, and the ending…just perfect! Yes, Dan Ackerman has secured themselves another fan."
That Doesn't Belong Here begins when Levi and his friend Emily discover an impossible creature in an abandoned pick up. The thing is wounded, frightened and the two friends cannot leave him to the mercy of rubberneckers and tourists. This novel explores what it means to be a person, as the creature, Kato, begins to display not mere intelligence or friendliness but what can only be explained as humanity. The question of who we are allowed to love arises for Levi and Kato, as they are not just crossing the boundaries of gender or sexuality, but of species.
