4udesa4udesa

A thought-provoking and well-paced read that ponders what separates humans from animals -- our capacity for compassion and for cruelty -- and questions whether some of the boundaries are perhaps blurrier than we'd expect. Boyd has a talent for immersing the reader in an exotic or unfamiliar topic in his books, and I found myself completely absorbed by the details of Hope's work with the chimpanzees (and only a bit less so with John's work on mathematics). The structure of the book, broken into long-ago past, more recent past, and present also helps to build suspense and intrigue to keep the book moving forward at a steady clip. Though Hope seems to have come to terms with the events of her life that led her to reside on Brazzaville Beach, the reader may not find it quite so easy. And that's a good thing, because it makes this a novel that will stay with you even after you close the cover. One super-minor frustration about that cover: the title! It didn't match, in my opinion, the depth and force of what I read within. I think the title made me think of a trashy summer read, and might not draw readers to the subject matter as much as the content merits.

2022-11-14 13:37