by Carol Birch
First published 2011
Jaffy Brown runs through London's East End in 1857 when an escaped tiger seizes him in its jaws. Mr Jamrach, who collects exotic creatures, saves the boy's life. The encounter changes everything for Jaffy, who calls it his second birth. Jamrach takes the boy under his wing, and soon Jaffy boards a ship sailing to the Dutch East Indies. He carries out a special mission for his benefactor, one that will test whether his friendships and beliefs can survive the journey. The voyage takes him from London's grimy docks across the Indian Ocean's treacherous waters. Jaffy faces storms at sea and confronts the wild forces of nature that both fascinate and threaten him. His adventure becomes a struggle between civilization and wilderness, between human connection and the brutal realities of survival.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Dutch East Indies, East End, India, London
Period: 1857
348 pages · Paperback · Canongate Books