Calling all Water for Elephants fans --- Sara Gruen's newest book Ape House is just as good. Maybe even better.Inspired by the Great Ape Trust in Des Moines, Gruen's story is centered around six bonobos housed in the fictional Great Ape Language Lab. Unlike other bonobos, these six communicate via American Sign Language and are capable of forming relationships with humans, especially scientist Isabel Duncan.
Isabel has problems of her own but she is devasted when animal activists break into the lab to free the bonobos, severly injuring Isabel in the process. Luckily the apes are recaptured but the university washes its hands of them by selling the bonobos to an undisclosed buyer.
While Isabel frantically tries to find them, they appear one day as the stars of their own reality TV show called "Ape House" (it's the equivalent of giving free reign to six middle schoolers to eat and do whatever they want). They have a great time eating cheeseburgers and candy, watching TV, and signing for Isabel to come get them. Little do they know that if their TV ratings drop, the producers will quietly dispose of them.
Isabel bands together with the unlikely team of computer hackers, a green-haired vegan fanatic, a tabloid journalist, and a retired porn star to rescue the bonobos.
Gruen has a magical way of making animals really come to life as characters. I love the bonobos in this book -- although I have to admit that the meth-lab dog named Booger dressed in an argyle sweater steals the show.
The ending wraps up a little too neatly but Ape House is still a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
No comments:
Post a Comment