by Hannah Tinti
Review:
This is a bizarre debut collection of stories about animals. All of these storied explore characters' relationships with various animals and how they locate meaning in giraffes at the zoo, a neighbor's cat, a stuffed bear in a museum, or an ex-boyfriend's snake.
In "Preservation," Mary, the daughter of a well-known artist, works late afternoons and evenings restoring murals in a museum diorama. But when the museum gallery empties of visitors, a stuffed bear in the middle of the room seems to come to life.
In "Reasonable Terms," three giraffes go on strike for better habitat conditions. Lying prone on the ground, their eyes rolled back and their tongues lolling out, they play dead and refuse to entertain their audiences. The predicament causes the zookeeper to reflect on his own marriage: "The zookeeper looked at the animals prostrate in the dirt and was reminded of pre-Darwinian concepts of evolution --- that the length of giraffes' necks was determined by stretching to obtain what they desire. He wondered if this kind of despair was inside Matilda."
In "Home Sweet Home", a dog is eyewitness to the undoing of a quiet neighborhood and its complex inhabitants. A bored and lusty housewife, Pat, grows frustrated after the death of her husband Clyde's father leaves Clyde impotent. Left to her own devices, Pat takes up with her next door neighbor, Mr. Mitchell. A brief affair with a Venezuelan prostitute results with Mitchell's son, Manuel. The death of the mother brings the strange boy who is most comfortable hiding sleeping in garbage bins, to the Mitchell home and soon a surprising connection occurs between the child and Mrs. Mitchell, leaving the father to the wayside. Adultery and public indiscretions lead to a satisfying climax.
In "Slim's Last Ride", a year later after a father abandons his wife and child, a small rabbit arrives on the child's doorstep. Through the course of the story, the mother watches in horror as her son projects his rage onto his pet.
In "Gallus Gallus" , an arrogant husband takes out his anger at his wife on her prized rooster. Animals serve to painfully mitigate characters who feel they have no other outlet for their longing or frustrations.
Overall, this is a great collection and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves odd characters and strange story lines.
