‘Beds are empty, bodies near, Children missing, tigers here.’
Have you ever found some children’s nursery rhymes to be vaguely unsettling or wondered wh‘Beds are empty, bodies near, Children missing, tigers here.’
Have you ever found some children’s nursery rhymes to be vaguely unsettling or wondered what dark references lurk under seemingly innocent lyrics? Carmen Maria Machado sinks sharp claws into these thoughts and mauls you with them in Bloody Summer. Diving into the eerie lore and unsolved violent history of a small Pennsylvanian town, what begins as a fictional academic article into the youthful hand-game rhymes that spread from the area abruptly turns into a horror show of dismembered bodies and missing children. Sharp and sinister, this short story shows how darkness can hide under playful veneers.
The framing as an academic piece of writing really works narrative magic in Bloody Summer. There’s a sense of grounding that adds weight to it and a sense of realism that allows the story to bypass needing to make the town feel believable since it is just presented as a real place, while also feeling like reading the history of an urban legend where we learn the trajectory of the past into the present through highlighted rumors mixed with life stories of key figures. There’s a fun sense of analysis, such as of the two hand-game songs and the latter in particular with its echos of William Blake’s The Tyger (should we question their ‘fearful symmetry?’), and Machado even mixes actual facts—like there being more tigers in captivity in the US than free in the wild around the world—with the fictional town lore.
Added to this is the sense of disconnect from the events, told decades after the titular Bloody Summer through an article and interview, that spotlights some primary themes. Being “academic” in nature, nothing is presented as conclusive and instead as speculation and theory adding an extra layer of mystery to the already mysterious events. It also glosses over the really horrific details (such as the particulars about the abuse faced by the children) in a way that emphasizes the idea that horrible things lurk just beneath the surface of words, people, and towns.
I really enjoyed this one, even if it is almost too brief and ends rather suddenly. It leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions, though that really plays into the overall mysteriousness of it and the idea that science and reasoning still fails to grasp at the horror hiding here. There is also an interesting look at ideas of captivity (the brief mention of colonialism is a nice touch that expands the idea) and abuse and how under a society that hides the abuse under false niceties and backs those abused into a corner with no way out, they will feel the only path left to freedom is by force. Bloody Summer is a quick dose of eerie fun with a really enjoyable narrative framing that will have you overthinking the history behind unsettling nursery rhymes.
4/5
‘Even if it meant being wild on soil never meant to bear me.’...more
This is such a great series and it is really picking up momentum now. A red herring arc that explores the idea that we don't really know what our neigThis is such a great series and it is really picking up momentum now. A red herring arc that explores the idea that we don't really know what our neighbors are like behind closed doors. Sure, Sam gets off a bit easy from the misdirection here but it was tense and I'm just really digging this series. And now we might actually know who the killer is. Dexter but with anthropomorphic animals, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees continues to be a murderously good time....more
This series of anthropomorphic animals unwittingly headed towards a serial killer vs serial killer scenario continues to be a hoot. I really enjoy theThis series of anthropomorphic animals unwittingly headed towards a serial killer vs serial killer scenario continues to be a hoot. I really enjoy the way the soft and cutesy art really clashes with the dark themes, making the moments of extreme violence all the more jarring and dramatic. But it also works as an excellent commentary on how the whole mythos of “nice small towns” is mostly an aesthetic facade of innocence that avoids the darkness underneath. I suspect as this series progresses all the saccharine scenes are going to start unveiling a darker tone that nobody is as perfect and cute as they make themselves out to be, but for now I’m really enjoying how this is practically Calico Critters and happy town scenes out of shows for toddlers that are suddenly interrupted by extreme violence. Our main character needs to figure out who is behind the murder(s) before she starts looking suspicious and her own history of murdering gets dredged up, and the newest death is likely to make her a prime suspect… Can’t wait for more!
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Why are all the animals in this image smiling and singing, you ask?
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Well it’s because they are about to have a… ANIMAL REVOLUTION.
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Why are all the animals in this image smiling and singing, you ask?
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Well it’s because they are about to have a… ANIMAL REVOLUTION.
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The humans have been chased out and the animals are left to form their own perfect government…but there’s a reason for the saying “absolute power corrupts absolutely” and George Orwell’s 1945 classic is a searing look at how great and noble ideas can be hijacked by those hungry for power. Brazilian artist Odyr has adapted Orwell’s Animal Farm into this gorgeous graphic novel that upholds the integrity of the original story while delivering eye-catching visuals. It is a great story (I’ve reviewed it here for those looking for an analysis of Orwell’s work), though many previous adaptations have, not unlike the pigs in this tale, hijacked the message for their own purposes and propaganda. Orwell’s widow was eventually swayed to give film rights after being promised she could meet her favorite movie star, Clark Gable. The project, however, was secretly headed up by the CIA and they altered Orwell’s message to be a sweeping anti-socialist film. Later in 1999, a Hallmark adaptation completely took the teeth out of the story, having the farmer be even outcast from other farmers for being a bad animal owner and ending with a hip new farmer putting everything back to how it was. But here we see Odyr stick closely to the story, moving at a quick and exciting pace that really lets the visual medium shine.
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I really love the art. The thick brushstrokes and acrylic artwork has a lovely classic vibe to it, but the lettering and the tattoo-style font for the chapter numbers makes it feel modern and edgy. Which enhances the message that this is an old tale that is still pertinent to the modern day, a parable about abuse of power and propaganda that I’m glad to see continues to fascinate minds nearly a century after it was written.
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I’m always wary of reading adaptations of a book I just completed because the differences stand out in high contrast, but this really upheld the story and was a satisfying read. Some pages are a bit text heavy while other seem a bit too sparse (one of those illustrated full texts like they do with the Percy Jackson or Harry Potter series would be an ideal middle ground) but its just a delightful read that lets you see some of the best moments in the book.
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Would recommend, and get a load of this asshole
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‘I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.’
I’m a big fan of cats, and the big cat narrating Open Throat by Henry Hoke h‘I feel more like a person than ever because I’m starting to hate myself.’
I’m a big fan of cats, and the big cat narrating Open Throat by Henry Hoke has certainly stolen my heart. Examining the blurred boundary between human and animal, Hoke’s heartfelt and often hilarious novella follows the stream-of-consciousness of a queer mountain lion based on P-22, a real-life mountain lion who crossed the 405 and the 101 freeways to live in Griffith Park. This is a novel that seems like it shouldn’t work, yet it does. And marvelously so, making elements that could quickly trip into cloyingly quirky instead rise up in emotional and satirical glory. Hoke’s sharp yet playful prose comes at us in double-spaced, single lines, reading almost like poetry as the lion navigates complex emotions from hunger and shame to repressed desires and concerns around identity, but their perspective (the lion tells us they are they/them) also gives us a fascinating gaze at human society from the perspective of an outsider on our gross inequalities, narcissisms and ecological terrors. A quick but powerful read, Hoke’s offbeat Open Throat makes the familiar seem strange and the strange so utterly satisfying through the eyes of an unforgettable and tender narrator that, while an animal themselves, explores what it means to be human, themes of domestication, and removal from the wild.
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P-22, the “Hollywood Cat”
This is a wild ride. A quick book that could feasibly be finished in a single evening, Open Throat’s unconventionality manages to pull a wide range of emotions and insights through the narrative while keeping the reader in rapt attention. While we never learn the name of our feline narrator because ‘it’s not made of noises a person can make,’ we are treated to a deep investigation into their emotional state and concerns for society. I was delighted to learn how much of this story comes from real events about P-22, to whom this book is dedicated and inspired by (Hoke says the story was also inspired by the song Hollywood from Nick Cave, which reminded him of P-22). Its a similar feeling to when I’m reading Ali Smith and think ‘that is an oddly specific detail’ only to find it is entirely true, and the true events on the life of this lion are just as thrilling as the novel such as P-22 taking up residence under someone’s porch or having been the likely culprit in the devouring of a beloved LA zoo koala. In her eulogy for P-22, California director for the National Wildlife Foundation Beth Pratt said:
‘He changed us…He made us more human, made us connect more to that wild place in ourselves. We are part of nature and he reminded us of that.’
This keys into a major theme of the novella, though as much as the lion makes us think about our humanity, the lion, in turn, feels they are becoming more human. A therapist is ‘something I want,’ for instance, though they also find annoyance in human behaviors. ‘I don’t trust screens to tell me who I am,’ they think upon seeing their reflection in a mirror.
‘I want to devour their sound / I have so much language in my brain / and nowhere to put it.’
The narration is made possible by the lion having picked up on human speech, either from the encampment of unhoused people for whom the lion feels an affinity for their shared outsider status or from the people hiking the trails.Sure, this may be a stretch for some but Hoke handles it in such a delightful way with situational irony and malapropisms that defamiliarizes the ordinary into an uncanny landscape where the abstractions of reality are more pronounced for analysis. Learning the language draws them closer to humans and I giggled at aspects such as picking up the word for helicopter but always as ‘fucking helicopter’ due to learning it from a man in tent city, or mistaking the term ‘scarcity mentality’ for ‘scare city’ which becomes an all-too-accurate name for LA.
‘I traded old fear for new fear.’
Becoming more human also means processing internal struggles (a theme I’ve quite enjoyed in the Murderbot series). In many ways this story is symbolic of repressed identities and the ways society commodifies everything to take the bite out of it. Watching two men have sex in a cave dredges up bittersweet memories of a “relationship” the lion had with another lion, ‘the kill sharer,’ but also the traumatic memories of being cast out from their lion society by a violent father. ‘A father to a kitten is an absence,’ they reflect, ‘a grown cat to a father is a threat.’ This vague tale of violence and abusive fathers is a familiar queer trope, and Hoke juxtaposes the history of violence with the violence present in human society. And not just the threat of death to cross the freeway—‘the long death’—but also violence humans display against their own outsiders such as an act of horrific cruelty towards the unhoused people the lion clings near. ‘I know what their hands can do and what their hands would do and the violence waiting behind every motion.’
I’ve never eaten a person / but today I might.’
The story also looks at the ways society will take anything raw, wild, or unfamiliar and commoditize (think of how capitalism will often co-opt activism in order to render it as nothing but slogans on t-shirts) or domesticate it, such as the imagery of a wild mountain lion becoming a half-starved, tame and timid creature slinking through the streets of scare city. A lion is a perfect symbol for a book set in hollywood, which is full of icons like the MGM lion or Simba that take a wild beast and turn it into family friendly marketing. Disney in particular is called out in a surreal scene late in the novel that briefly envisions the lion in full anthropomorphic adaptation walking on two legs and enjoying the rides of Disneyland. There is a bit of irony that in the most notable moments of domestication when a teenage girl takes in the lion, she also pays homage to their wildness, calling them ‘heckit’ (the mythological Hecate associated with ideas of transition) and refers to them as a goddess.
‘If you feel alone in the world / find someone to worship you’
Though for all the ways the lion sees humans as perpetuating many of the world’s ills, there is also that affinity and tenderness many of them. Particularly the outcasts. Though, as we see in the shocking ending, the world of humans and animals are always separate. Open Throat is a reminder of the violence that gets swept under the rug or the other sacrifices made in order for the masses to pretend we live in a polite society and is an excellent edition to the genre of animal perspectives showing us what being human really looks like. I also can’t wrap this up without mentioning that I will forever read novels about pumas in honor of Mike Puma, some of you here may remember him, a best friend that I miss every single day. Love you buddy. Anyways. Offbeat, humorous and often surreal, Open Throat is an endlessly readable tale that reminds us to embrace the wilderness and wild because society can never truly cage it.
4.5/5
Cause they say there is a cougar that roams these parts, With a terrible engine of wrath for a heart That she is white and rare and full of all kinds of harm And stalks the perimeter all day long But at night lays trembling in my arms. -Nick Cave, Hollywood...more
Go on an adventure around the neighborhood with Mole and Vole in Expedition Backyard, a completely charming children’s g
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Onward Adventurers!
Go on an adventure around the neighborhood with Mole and Vole in Expedition Backyard, a completely charming children’s graphic novel from Rosemary Mosco and Binglin Hu. Mole and Vole spend their days going on expeditions around the the backyard of a rural home with Mole chronicling all they see with his artwork until one day they accidentally get packed up and moved to the city along with the family. The new world is scary, Vole thinks they see a lion and birds of prey circle above, but they make the best of it and decide to form their own adventure crew! This is such a sweet little book that makes learning and discovering fun and while it is aimed at elementary aged readers it is delightful for readers of any age.
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I love you raccoon
This book is so pure and good. I love how many learning opportunities they include and how cute and brave all the furry little buddies are. It is broken into chapters by each “expedition” and each ends with Mole’s map of everything they saw and everyone they met (including the hawks and owls that seem to chase them once a day). I love how they meet new friends and learn what those animals are like, and there is a cute little side-plot about a little girl feeling lonely after moving but finding her own place as well.
The extras included at the end are wonderful too. There’s a guide how to draw the characters as well as information on nature activities like how to compost or plan a community garden. It’s a quick little read but it will fill you with joy and good vibes. It is just so cute and sweet and I want to hug all the animals.
’ Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness.’
We have all heard the phrase ‘you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.’ While this is a good l’ Life is a peephole, a single tiny entry onto a vastness.’
We have all heard the phrase ‘you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.’ While this is a good life lesson, especially when taken as a metaphor that extends beyond books and into people, places, foods, etc., sometimes the cover of a novel is very telling of what lies within. Yann Martel’s Life of Pi wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve. A quick glance at the cover shows the overzealous stamp of ‘Winner of the Man Booker Prize’, INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, the indication that, yes, this is ‘A Novel’, and an image that both depicts the major plot point of the novel, thus spoiling the surprise of who Richard Parker really is. All this praise lauded upon the cover is instantly telling that this is a novel that has reached a wide audience, and is most likely aimed towards wide critical acclaim. That is all fine, and bravo to Mr. Martel for being able to leave his mark on the bestseller list, something I can only imagine in my wildest of wildest dreams, but sometimes when reaching for a large audience you have to elbow out a small percentage of readers. I am that small percentage that was elbowed out by Martel’s attempt to make an accessible novel that will touch the reader on a spiritual level. This is a difficult novel to review as, firstly, I did enjoy reading the book. I gave in to reading this book that I have been purposely avoiding after reading the excellent review from mi Hermana. I had a lot of fun discussing this book with her, texting her my shocks and suprises in the plot, and discussing the book in several threads with fellow Goodreaders. As anyone can see with a quick glance at the overall ratings, this book seems to really strike a chord in many readers, yet also brings a large crowd of dissenters. While I did extract a good deal of pleasure from the novel, it just didn’t sit well with me at the same time. In all fairness to the novel, and to my usual reading list, I have to dissect this book with the same views of novels that I would any other. This begs the question as to ‘why do we read?’, and this reason differs from person to person much like each persons meaning of life – a theme explored in Pi. Life of Pi was a pleasurable read that suffered from a heavy-handed serving of morality. While Martel delivers one charming phrase after the next with a graceful flow, he would have greatly benefited from a touch of subtlety.
All to often, Martel would draw conclusions for the reader. A prime example occurs in the first few pages when Pi’s science teacher visits the Zoo (a zoo that he does not hold back from explaining how it serves as a metaphor for humanity), and calls out the name of well-known scientists whose studies pertain to the activities of the animals he is currently viewing. Martel spoils the moment by explaining that Mr. Kumar liked to prove to himself ‘that everything was order’. It felt as if Martel didn’t believe his readers could connect the dot. Even more obscure ideas are spoiled in such a manner. When a rain of flying fish saves Pi and Richard Parker from certain hunger, he thanks Vishnu saying ‘once you saved the world by taking the form of a fish. Now you have saved me by taking the form of a fish’. While I would not have made this connection, it ruins that ‘ah-ha!’ moment for those that do. It is that special moment of understanding an allusion in literature that keeps me reading a wide variety of texts, and it seems insulting to have someone to make connections without giving you an opportunity. Even at the very end, in his shocking twist of an ending (I must profess this novel has an incredible conclusion), the two Chinese men literally draw the connections for you saying something to the effect of ‘oh, this is this and that means that…’. This all seems to be Martel’s way of making sure his message gets heard, and is able to reach everyone. It is a noble goal, and it gets people who do not typically read to like and enjoy a book, so I cannot necessarily knock him for it as that was his goal, but this is all to my chagrin.
‘It's important in life to conclude things properly,’ Pi explains, ‘only then can you let go. Otherwise you are left with words you should have said but never did, and your heart is heavy with remorse’. The question now is, does Martel conclude things properly? I personally loved the conclusion to this book. He successfully pulls the rug out from under the reader and exposes the real message behind the book. Without spoiling anything, this novel makes a good statement on the powers of storytelling with both a fun plot device and well crafted statements such as ‘that's what fiction is about, isn't it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence?’ Had he left it at that, it would have been wonderful and allowed for mass interpretability and the reader could have easily connected it to spirituality. However, Martel forces the connection to religion down the reader’s throat. The whole beginning section of the novel, which details Pi’s exploration of various religions, seems irrelevant for the majority the novel. Occasionally he will pray or include some stunning statements on the beauty of life and the grace of God/gods, but it seems to have been only there to make sure you were looking for the religious metaphors in the plot and comes across as Martel with a death grip on the readers head, jerking it back and forth shouting ‘look here! Notice that! Remember what we talked about!?’ While much of the focus on spirituality was well done, it was far too heavy-handed and led to a rather narrow interpretation on the ending.
My major concern is that Martel only gave us what he thought the reader would want, making quotes such as ‘ I know what you want. You want a story that won’t surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won’t make you see higher or further or differently,’ seem like he wasn’t being as ironic with the ending as he hoped it would be. While the conclusion comes out as ‘bet you didn’t see that coming’, it really doesn’t say anything that hasn’t been said before. The novel is heralded as being an affirmation of faith, and that’s exactly what it is, an affirmation. It isn’t going to challenge your beliefs, although he does an excellent job allowing different religious figures to challenge the differences in belief of one another even if it is the same concepts anyone would learn in a 100 level humanities course; it isn’t going to convert any readers to a life of devotion; it only provides a blanket and a comfort to those that already believe. Which, once again, is not a bad thing, if that is what you are looking for. It reminded me of something a professor once told me in a World Religions course. He described church as something that, and this is his opinion, is a crutch for those who needed it. He compared the obligation to attend to telling a girlfriend you only hang out with them because you feel you have to and are obligated to. While his opinion is a bit harsh and easily offensive, what he was really trying to say is you should believe because you want to, not because you have to. Martel makes it seem like you have to believe in these things, and I see why that makes this book hard to swallow for someone who doesn’t. Once again, in hopes to reassure and reach a large audience, Martel rudely elbows out the remainder. However, I really feel uncomfortable discussing beliefs on the open seas of the internet, and I really hope nothing said here offends you as that is not my intention. Please understand I am only speaking in relevance to my thoughts on a book, not on religion. The insistence of Martel to wrap a cool concept with spirituality is a major reason why it is so difficult to talk about this book. It is hard to separate the two ideas, but I’m doing my best to keep this focused on the literary aspects. I’m getting too self-conscious! The whole point here is that a lot of what Martel says has been said before, better, and with more willingness to evoke a change in the reader.
All that said, there is a lot that I truly enjoyed about this book. If you push all the aforementioned details aside, this was a wild ride. This made me want to visit zoos and hug a tiger. Look how cute this tiger is: [image] Tell me you don’t want to hug that! I really enjoyed the wealth of zoological knowledge Martel bestows upon the reader, and his insistence on seeming ‘realistic’ with his animals. After reading this book, you will know why you should never, ever try to hug a tiger or take a wild animal for granted. He makes an interesting point how we force cute cuddly animal toys on children and make them think they are some domestic pet. While this is used as an excellent point that humans are the villain, which is easily slotted into the religious issues as an explanation that it isn’t religion that causes violence but the people abusing the rhetoric, it does seem ironically opposed to his final statement of how religion glosses over the grimy, difficult to handle details of life and makes it easier to handle. Are cute cuddly animal toys then religion? This novel is a very positive message to the world, and anything promoting peace and harmony can’t be all that bad. I enjoyed statements such as ‘ If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?’, which is an important idea considering the violence that takes place around the world. I also enjoyed how the animal story is also chock full of scientific facts and details, which fuses the idea of religion and science together instead of showing them as opposites. Thre were some symbolism, the ones he left untainted by a forced explanation, that really struck me. The tiger itself is open for many views, either as God, Pi, or life itself - something we must face and tame lest it destroy us. However, could it be the killer inside us all, an urge and animalistic force we must keep in check in order to exist in a civilized society? In a way, I felt that the ending could almost be an attack on religion, showing it as nothing more than a pretty way of viewing a world as ugly as our own. I felt that the tarpauline served as a similar symbol. It was a feeling of security, something to stand on, but underneath was the violent truth of a deadly tiger. Perhaps it was our personal sense of security which is actually just thin and flimsy. When Martel doesn't slap us with his meaning, it is quite good.
I was simply not the intended audience for this novel. However, Martel has a positive message that he wanted to reach a wide audience in hopes to spread peace to a world badly in need of it, so I cannot be too harsh on him. He achieved his goals for the novel, but his novel did not reach my goals for literature. Still, this was a fun read and I would recommend it. Just ask yourself, ‘why read?’ and if the cons of this review outweigh the pros, then this novel is not for you. But if you desire something that will entertain, broaden your horizons of spirituality if you don’t know much about various religions, or reaffirm your faith, well look no further. 3.5/5
‘ Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous possessive love that grabs at what it can.’
Here's more tigers. Because you deserve them: [image] [image] [image]...more
‘Rabbits live close to death and when death comes closer than usual, thinking about survival leaves little room for anything else.’
These rabbits don’t‘Rabbits live close to death and when death comes closer than usual, thinking about survival leaves little room for anything else.’
These rabbits don’t just fuck, they fuck each other up. I mean this is an absolutely wild, banger of a novel. When caught up in the action and anxieties of an epic tale, we, the reader, often find ourselves feeling epic as well. It’s a marvelous feeling, the whole world seems to hum with purpose and while we feel there is danger closing in all around we also feel empowered in the knowledge that it can be overcome. That one would find this sort of epic engagement in a novel about rabbits may come as a surprise, yet Richard Adam’s Watership Down becomes an endlessly engrossing tale of heroism, leadership and survival that reveals itself to be much more beyond a story of rabbits and is rife with social and political insights applicable to the human world as well. Watership Down engulfs you in it’s world complete with rabbit language—Adam’s invented language Lapine—and lore, transforming what would otherwise seem a mundane landscape into a near mythic realm that elevates the predators and perils to epic proportions. An absolute page-turner where the escape and resettlement of a rabbit community becomes a lens to examine ideas of social organizing and leadership theories, Watership Down completely conquered my heart. I even cried a bit. This was a whole event and I highly recommend it.
‘All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.’
Richard Adams liked to claim this was just a story about rabbits, though one can discover far more between the lines here and it opens up an incredible look at survival, leadership, power, violence and more. For the uninitiated, Watership Down follows the adventures of Fiver, Hazel and Bigwig as they lead a group of rabbits to a new settlement after Fiver has a vision of impending doom for their burrow. It is a story that has been adapted into a film that has long traumatized children—myself included, those bloody-ass bunnies scared the hell out of me—and I gotta admit, even as an adult this story got under my skin. The eeriness of Cowslip’s cult-like warren, munching carrots fed to them by a farmer and saying “this is fine” as death is screaming all around them; the tales of The Black Rabbit Of Inlé—the death rabbit of their lore—and his silent warren; the totalitarian violence of Efrafa and their militant society; the clashes and constant fear of death; Watership Down is full of terror, trauma, incredible violence and I absolutely LOVED it.
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The Black Rabbit Of Inlé will haunt me forever
Adam’s writing truly pulls you down to rabbit size, seeing the world through their eyes, fearing the shadows, feeling the weird of a whole world full of teeth that tear and the incredible violence from human’s that hardly give a thought to the ways their action lead to mass death and destruction. ‘ It was just because we were in their way,’ the rabbits must accept after a scene of slaughter, ‘they killed us to suit themselves.’ In a way, we see how the violence of the animals—while still often awful—is one of survival and natural order compared to the violence of humans. There is violence everywhere, though we also see a difference of violence for survival and violence for the sake of power (the WWII parable ideas are strong here):
‘Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.’
Adams does well, however, to complicate situations. Humans are awful, yet the same human who keeps rabbits as pets is also the savior of a key character at a key moment. Character’s are fairly nuanced and have flaws and faults to overcome, some ideas come to failure, lessons are learned, lives are lost, and all the glorious chaos of life and death come alive in these pages.
‘My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.’
I love the language and lore of this book though. The animal language, Lapine, gives a rather mythical element that makes reading this feel akin to the joys I had reading J.R.R. Tolkien as a kid. I love how the terms come to read rather natural and adds a fun dynamic to the world (also I’ve been referring to patrons and customers as “elil” while reading this). The world feels so vast and mysterious and weighty with the heavy legends and folklore as well, and I love how they are integrated into the overall narrative (plus shoutout to the storyteller rabbit, Dandelion, for being cool). Central to these tales is El-ahrairah, the Prince of Rabbits, who’s tales are used to pass down lessons on the importance of wit, speed, and embracing the trickster ways of rabbits. When we see Cowslip’s warren reject the traditions and folklore, all the general unease of the warren slides into place and the horrifying truth of their existence reveals itself, thus fulfilling the warnings of the rabbit’s deity, Lord Frith, that it is through their cunning that rabbits will survive.
The various warrens become an excellent example on the function of leadership and the various rabbit leader’s style comes to dominate the lifestyles of the rabbits in their care. The biggest contrast, of course, is between Hazel and General Woundwort. While Hazel leads through cunningness and care, putting the whole of his society first and allowing them to participate, Woundwort leads through fear and intimidation and creates a highly regimented warren motivated by avoidance of punishment. It is clear Adams favors a democratic society to an authoritarian one and the crew of Watership Down are shown to value their differences and see them as unique skillsets that can all collaborate to the betterment of all. This even includes giving aid to other species, such as a mouse and bird, and thriving on the mutual aid they receive in return. It is a call for sustainable community over power.
‘I’ve come to suggest something altogether different and better for us both. A rabbit has two ears; a rabbit has two eyes, two nostrils. Our two warrens ought to be like that. They ought to be together — not fighting. We ought to make other warrens between us — start one between here and Efrafa, with rabbits from both sides. You wouldn’t lose by that, you’d gain. We both would. A lot of your rabbits are unhappy now and it’s all you can do to control them, but with this plan you’d soon see a difference. Rabbits have enough enemies as it is. They ought not to make more among themselves. A mating between free, independent warrens — what do you say?’
While Hazel’s community organizing and pluralism is shown as their greatest strength, Woundwort’s zero-sum thinking is shown as his weakness. Power only respects power, and when the strongest rabbit, Bigwig, reveals he is not the chief, it is something Woundwort can hardly process. Speaking of, shoutout to Bigwig. Easily my favorite character. But it all comes down to leading in a way that helps everyone, and while a major plot point being that they need to convince women away from their warrens in order to breed new generations for their own comes off as a bit odd, it is in keeping with the nature of rabbits. But this sequence also functions as a great insight into Hazel’s leadership where he allows others to have ideas instead of simply being an iron rule, and learns that his rash decisions that are aimed at personal glory over community safety are not desirable.
‘To come to the end of a time of anxiety and fear! To feel the cloud that hung over us lift and disperse—the cloud that dulled the heart and made happiness no more than a memory! This at least is one joy that must have been known by almost every living creature.’
This was an absolutely incredible read that will linger with me forever. So much adventure and anxiety, so much terror and trauma, and so much grief and sorrow come from these rabbits. It manages to read as serious as a grave despite being about rabbits and comes strong with genuine emotion. I’d also like to believe this exists in the same universe as Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH so all my favorite dark animal tales can coincide. I put off reading Watership Down for too long and I am so glad I have finally fully experienced it and fallen in love with these characters because this is a novel I want to read again and again.
s.penkevich
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Books:
animals
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