From 1898 to 1981, a small family farm marked by misery evolves into an industrial pig farm. The hellish descent of this pigsty delivers a reflection of the modern violence inflicted upon these five generations of farmers, who face war and economic disaster.

Animalia is a powerful fresco questioning violence towards animals and the downward spiral of humanity intent on dominating nature.

Book-alike: Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer (Back Bay Books)

Jean-Baptiste Del Amo won the Goncourt First Novel Prize for his novel Une éducation libertine in 2008. Animalia, his fourth novel, won the Inter Prize in 2017, and was translated into 10 languages. As a vegan, he is very involved in animal rights groups.