Synopsis: Bruno Littlemore is quite unlike any chimpanzee in the world.
Precocious, self-conscious and preternaturally gifted, young Bruno, born
and raised in a habitat at the local zoo, falls under the care of a
university primatologist named Lydia Littlemore. Learning of Bruno's
ability to speak, Lydia takes Bruno into her home to oversee his
education and nurture his passion for painting. But for all of his
gifts, the chimpanzee has a rough time caging his more primal urges. His
untimely outbursts ultimately cost Lydia her job, and send the unlikely
pair on the road in what proves to be one of the most unforgettable
journeys -- and most affecting love stories -- in recent literature.
About the Author:
Benjamin Hale
is a graduate of the Iowa Writers Workshop, where he received a
Provost's Fellowship to complete his novel, which also went on to win a
Michener-Copernicus Award. He has been a night shift baker, a security
guard, a trompe l'oeil painter, a pizza deliverer, a cartoonist, an
illustrator and a technical writer. He grew up in Colorado and now lives
in New York.
Review: By now you have probably heard about this book. It has been featured in numerous magazines as the "it" book of the season. It is a book you will love, hate, or not be sure how you feel about it. If you can suspend any revulsion re the love between Bruno and Lydia, you will find a very good story of evolvement and how love and loss are emotions not just possessed by man.
As a long time admirer of Jane Goodall, I was interested to see how Hale would handle the issue of a chimp falling in love with his handler and literally becoming as human as possible, after he learns to speak. Yes, as a human does. The story of Bruno's educational evolution is astounding, and obviously Hale did alot of research, which leads credibility to the experiment. Hale allows for modern man's discord with that he does not understand or even seek to conceptualize to pop the bubble that Bruno and Lydia have built. What follows reads like a modern tale of loss and searching.
The book is different and may not be for all readers, if only because it is LONG-over 550 pages- and so involved that it is nowhere near being a quick read. Could it have been shortened? Maybe, but Hale could not have told a complete tale without all he included. I would not be surprised to see the book's movie rights sold soon, as they are remaking Plant of the Apes (yes, I know, it wasn't MY idea), and based on what I saw of the effects, I think the SE guys have read this book!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, free of charge, from Hachette Publishing! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about the book!
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