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A Novel
by Indra Sinha
Book Reviewed by:Sinha's unusual novel, Animal's People,
centers on a unique character – Animal, a young man
who, after suffering severe poisoning from a violent
chemical leak at the local factory, is forced to
walk on all fours. His back is bent in half, and he
regales the reader with his perspective on life as
he looks at, and below, the waists of humanity. At
first, Animal is not easy to like. He is
foul-mouthed, defensive, and bitter. He laughs at
the world, and his dirty existence is difficult to
take in; however, as the story evolves, so does our
respect and sympathy for Animal and his situation.
Animal speaks to the reader in perhaps the best
example of second-person narration I have read. Each
chapter is divided into 'Tapes,' which creates a
sense of believability. In fact, Sinha's use of
verisimilitude, the literary method of implying
truth in fiction, expands beyond the book to
khaufpur.com, the 'official' website of the city of Khaufpur - a website created by Sinha in the
likeness of the fictional city of Khaufpur found in
the pages of Animal's People. The website includes an interview with, and photographs of
a statue of, Animal plus the day to day goings on of
the city including horoscopes and gossip column.
It is presumed that Sinha's purpose in creating such
a realistic backdrop to his story is to increase
awareness of the horrible chemical accident in
Bhopal. Creating a character with an aura of
real-life star appeal is likely to get and keep
readers interested in the story, which will
hopefully urge people to aid the victims of the
disaster. However, even without the convincing media
campaign, the fictional Animal leaps from the page
like a unique, real person.
Animal's tale is told solely by him through the tape
mashin (machine), and his tone and diction are the key ways
the reader learns the story. Animal speaks English,
French and Hindi - the narrative combining a mixture of all
three, with phrases and words from French and Hindi
haphazardly inserted into Animal's speech. Animal's
sentences do not adhere to English grammar, and it
becomes clear that this is a man who can cross the
boundaries of culture, language, and discrimination.
The novel opens with Chunaram, a local shopkeeper,
urging Animal to speak to yet another 'journalis'
(journalist). Animal refuses at first; through a
cynical arrangement between him and Chunaram, he has
been exhibited to countless journalists who 'come to
suck our stories', but he eventually agrees and, in
exchange for the journalis' pants, his kakadus
(khakis), Animal begins to record his tale on the
tape mashin. The 'journalis' tells Animal that he
wants to hear and understand his story, so that he
can share Animal's experiences with the world. He
tells Animal that millions of eyes will know his
story as a result of his recordings on the tape mashin.
Henceforth, Animal talks to the mashin and the millions of 'Eyes,' which he
references directly throughout the novel. Animal's
relationship to the 'Eyes' warms over his story,
until it becomes clear that the 'Eyes' have become
his conscience. He implores the 'Eyes' to understand
him and not to judge him as he wrestles with his
place in the world, yearns for a woman's love, and
works to gain respect in his community.
Animal's greatest gift, and the reason he is so
sympathetic as a character, is his sense of humor.
From the Western perspective, his life is awful: he
must walk on all fours, he must beg for food, he
believes no one will love him, and he has no
opportunity to better himself. To Animal, though,
his plight is merely run of the mill; in fact, it's
perhaps better than most because his condition has
made him special. He can run like an animal, and he
has the rare ability to understand the souls of
other people, something he attributes to the poison.
He hears voices in his head that urge him to make
certain choices, or tune him into the thoughts and
hopes of his friends. He argues again and again, as
other characters urge him to think of himself as a
human, that he is an animal amongst men, unique and
special. His foul language that jars at the start of
the narrative becomes hilarious as Animal uses his
special way with speach to highlight other
characters' issues and flaws.
Sinha's tale glistens with hope and humanity.
Animal's language and story float off the page until
we believe that we are in fact listening to his
humorous voice rather than reading it. We are left
at the end, as we watch Animal saunter away, with a
sense of great insight, that we have seen how the
'weak can inherit the earth' and make us all strong.
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in April 2008, and has been updated for the
April 2009 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
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