Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Elephant Keeper

Just finished reading The Elephant Keeper, by Christopher Nicholson. I enjoyed this one about as much as any novel I've read in the past few years.

It's an elegy to an 18th century friendship between, well, a man and an elephant. Nicholson has a deft touch, maintaining a tone of humility and subdued awe on the part of the 1st person narrative. There is not much of a story here, so if an intriguing plot is what you're after, this book is not for you. The final chapter gave me a start, and I thought for a moment Nicholson had misstepped, but in fact the ending here is perfect. A lovely book.

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