Shine Book Club

I thought I'd get a head start on this review since I'll be in school for the better part of the week.

If you're looking for a light, whimsical read with feel good characters and warm fuzzies...look elsewhere. This isn't it. Giraffe by J. M. Ledgard isn't a book you peruse hastily, only to toss it back on the shelf to gather dust. Giraffe will leave you with unanswered questions and a burning desire for the answers.

Without giving away too much, Giraffe is about...well, giraffes. The largest captive herd in a Czechoslovakian zoo around the mid-seventies to be exact. The plot revolves around their slaughter and subsequent dismemberment, and the fact that to this day, no clear reason was given for their demise.

The chapters are narrated by different characters. Some are enamored of the docile giants, others are in awe of the science behind their stature. Regardless of the speaker, the voice tells the same story; one of heartbreak and anguish at the loss of these gentle doe-eyed creatures, compounded by the fact that approximately half the herd was pregnant.

This book stays with you. I won't deny I cried throughout it. It isn't an easy read, it's not a 'sit by the pool and get a tan' read. It's a work of art that delves into deep places some don't like looking and I hope that if you do read it, it lingers in your mind as it did mine.