by Indra Sinha
First published 2007
Animal walks on all fours through the streets of Khaufpur. His spine was destroyed seventeen years ago when poison gas from a factory accident swept through his neighborhood. He cannot remember walking upright like other people. Animal spends his time spying on town officials and caring for Ma Franci, the nun who raised him. He dreams about Nisha, who belongs to the local resistance leader. When American doctor Elli Barber arrives to open a free clinic, the townspeople suspect she works for the Kampani, the company responsible for their suffering. Animal sees opportunity in the chaos. He schemes to turn the situation to his benefit while navigating the web of plots and suspicions surrounding the doctor. His story reveals both the cruelty of his circumstances and his refusal to surrender his humanity despite a world that treats him as less than human.
Genres: fiction, animals, contemporary, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-commentary
Setting: Khaufpur
Period: 21st-century
374 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: medical-trauma