Title: The Tusk That Did The Damage
Author: Tania James
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 240
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
This is the story of an orphaned elephant whose terrorising the countryside, a young man who is drawn into the alluring world of ivory hunting and a documentary film maker, all of whom eventually come together in a tragic climax.
Review:
What a wonderful and unusual book this was, and it has left me slightly dazed and devastated.
The story is told through three viewpoints; that of a young male poacher, a woman working as a documentary film maker and that of an elephant. Of the three, the documentary filmmaker is the weakest and I felt the relationships in that narrative could've been better developed, but the rest is pretty much on point.
There's darkness in the theme of this book and the writing doesn't shy away from it - rather, it embraces it. It also discusses truth and humanity in a way I think is really interesting, a way that include the complexity and grey areas of it. There are also traces of myth and legend interwoven in the story that adds another fantastic detail to it.
Overall, I'm pretty impressed. The book takes you on a journey, one you know is not going to end well, but one very much worth being taken on. I would definitely recommend it if you like literary fiction.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
Author: Tania James
Published: 2015
Language: English
Pages: 240
Rating: 4/5
Summary:
This is the story of an orphaned elephant whose terrorising the countryside, a young man who is drawn into the alluring world of ivory hunting and a documentary film maker, all of whom eventually come together in a tragic climax.
Review:
What a wonderful and unusual book this was, and it has left me slightly dazed and devastated.
The story is told through three viewpoints; that of a young male poacher, a woman working as a documentary film maker and that of an elephant. Of the three, the documentary filmmaker is the weakest and I felt the relationships in that narrative could've been better developed, but the rest is pretty much on point.
There's darkness in the theme of this book and the writing doesn't shy away from it - rather, it embraces it. It also discusses truth and humanity in a way I think is really interesting, a way that include the complexity and grey areas of it. There are also traces of myth and legend interwoven in the story that adds another fantastic detail to it.
Overall, I'm pretty impressed. The book takes you on a journey, one you know is not going to end well, but one very much worth being taken on. I would definitely recommend it if you like literary fiction.
You can get this book at The Book Depository*
You can read more about it on Goodreads
*AFFILIATE LINK
