A fantasy novel written in the style of a documentary
narrative: that does the book a great injustice. Although the germ came from an
earlier work about a man at sea with a leopard, this book is a work of great
and unique imagination. The clever attempts to make the reader believe this is
a true story lend the tale a veracity that would be diminished had it been
written simply as a conventional novel.
Much that happens is, of course, incredible. The comment
that the book will make even an atheist believe in God, along with the stated
distrust of agnostics, struck a chord with me, since I am that agnostic, and
proudly so. And, for the record, whether intended or not, it certainly didn’t
convince me that there is a god.
The plight of the protagonist, the description of his early
life in India with his eccentric parents and odd upbringing, lead the reader to
empathise in surprising ways. The courage and inventiveness of the young man,
his tenacity, his honesty and his duplicity make for internal contrasts that
enliven the whole tale. It becomes difficult to determine what is ‘true’, what
is the product of his imagination as he attempts to remain both sane and alive
in a perilous situation, what is illusion or mirage, and what is sheer
invention on his behalf.
There’s humour here, inspiration, some subtle education and
a great deal of entertainment on many levels. The author has gone to
considerable lengths to understand the difficulties a boy in a lifeboat in the
Pacific might face. He’s researched his biology and botany well, and gives a
good account of the nature of the tiger and the other animals that feature. He
makes an impassioned plea for the support of zoos and drives a wonderful stake
through the heart of divisions that make religions enemies of each other and of
some of those who have no faith.
The story is engaging, fascinating, moving, terrifying,
bizarre and extraordinary. If you like your fiction to surprise and delight, to
undermine and provoke, then you will enjoy this novel. I did, and I thoroughly
recommend it.
