Ever since he can remember, Animal has gone on all fours, the catastrophic result of what happened on That Night when, thanks to an American chemical company, the Apocalypse visited his slum. Now not quite twenty, he leads a hand-to-mouth existence with his dog Jara and a crazy old nun called Ma Franci, and spends his nights fantasising about Nisha, the daughter of a local musician, and wondering what it must be like to get laid. When a young American doctor, Elli Barber, comes to town to open a free clinic for the still suffering townsfolk - only to find herself struggling to convince them that she isn't there to do the dirty work of the 'Kampani' - Animal plunges into a web of intrigues, scams and plots with the unabashed aim of turning events to his own advantage. Compellingly honest, entertaining and entirely without self-pity, Animal's account lights our way into his dark world with flashes of pure joy - from the very first page all the way to the story's explosive ending. ANIMAL'S PEOPLE is a stunningly humane work of storytelling that takes us right to the heart of contemporary India.
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From the Inside Flap
'I used to be human once. So I'm told. I don't remember it myself, but people who knew me when I was small say I walked on two feet just like a human being'.....But now Jaanvar - Animal - walks on all fours, the catastrophic result of what happened on That Night when, thanks to an American chemical company, the Apocalypse visited his slums. He lives a hand-to-mouth existence, with a crazy old nun called Ma Franci; Nisha, the daughter of a local musician; and his dog Jara. Each of them had their lives irreversibly changed on That Night.
When a young American doctor called Elli Barber comes to town, she intends to set up a clinic to treat the lingering consequences of that dreadful event. But how can she persuade these people who have been so harmed by foreigners that she isn't there to do the same? How can she heal the wounds that lie underneath the skin? How can she win over Animal and his people? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
When a young American doctor called Elli Barber comes to town, she intends to set up a clinic to treat the lingering consequences of that dreadful event. But how can she persuade these people who have been so harmed by foreigners that she isn't there to do the same? How can she heal the wounds that lie underneath the skin? How can she win over Animal and his people? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Indra Sinha was born in India and spent his childhood in Bombay and the hills of the Western Ghats. His work of non-fiction, THE CYBERGYPSIES, met with widespread critical acclaim. He lives in Sussex.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The central character, who is also the narrator of this story, is the force which gives the novel its incredible emotional power. Animal, so named because his twisted back forces him must walk on all fours, was the victim of a toxic gas leak from a foreign-owned company in the Indian town of Khaufpur. Animal is crass, obsessed with sex and self-interested enough to slip drugs into a love rival's drinks. Despite this he is an earthy, funny, self-aware and thoroughly likeable character and a brutally honest narrator.
It is perhaps not possible for someone who has not lived through such horrors to truly understand what it must be like for those who have, but getting to know Animal allows us to come as close as we are likely to get. Animal's dealings with the foreign `doctress' Elli also give us a window of understanding that opens onto the chasm that divides most readers from Animal's world, not just because we have not experienced the kind of atrocity he has, but because we are affluent and privileged.
This is a book about cynical exploitation by big business of the situation in less affluent countries. It is about the corruption that hampers the fight for justice and compensation for the victims and it is about the lack of any true understanding by outsiders of the real plight of those who live in `the kingdom of the poor'. It is also a book which brings all this alive in a very visceral way. Noone could be left untouched after reading this novel.
It is perhaps not possible for someone who has not lived through such horrors to truly understand what it must be like for those who have, but getting to know Animal allows us to come as close as we are likely to get. Animal's dealings with the foreign `doctress' Elli also give us a window of understanding that opens onto the chasm that divides most readers from Animal's world, not just because we have not experienced the kind of atrocity he has, but because we are affluent and privileged.
This is a book about cynical exploitation by big business of the situation in less affluent countries. It is about the corruption that hampers the fight for justice and compensation for the victims and it is about the lack of any true understanding by outsiders of the real plight of those who live in `the kingdom of the poor'. It is also a book which brings all this alive in a very visceral way. Noone could be left untouched after reading this novel.
45 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Animal's People is a grand novel, combining the epic with the personal.
On the epic scale, we have the fight of the victims of an explosion in a poison factory to seek their justice through the corrupt court system in India. And on the personal level, we have the individual drama of the victims as they seek to live their lives and love their loves in the shadow of the factory, coping with their various forms of damage.
The setting for the novel, Khaufpur, is a thinly disguised representation of Bhopal, which did suffer a chemical factory tragedy in 1984. The star of the novel is Animal, a child whose bones warped in the chemical fire and now walks on all fours. Animal has an engaging personality, a huge bundle of hope, a libido that is out of control, and a rather irritating style of syntax. Having grown up under the protection of Ma Franci, a French nun, he is taken under the wing of Zafar and Nisha, who run the campaign for justice. Animal falls madly in live with Nisha, but knows that Nisha will choose Zafar over him because of his deformity. Much of Animal's life is spent, then, wishing he could walk upright because then he might have more chance with women.
Then, the campaign for justice scores a hit as a court is willing, 20 years on, to consider seizing the assets of the "Kampani" if it doesn't come to court to answer charges relating to the poisoning. But this is set against a backdrop of political scheming and corruption, apparently led by the Chief Minister himself. A doctress then arrives in Khaufpur, Elli Barber, to run a free clinic for people suffering the after-effects of the poison. Elli-doctress finds things hard going as the town tries to decide whether to trust her. Read more ›
On the epic scale, we have the fight of the victims of an explosion in a poison factory to seek their justice through the corrupt court system in India. And on the personal level, we have the individual drama of the victims as they seek to live their lives and love their loves in the shadow of the factory, coping with their various forms of damage.
The setting for the novel, Khaufpur, is a thinly disguised representation of Bhopal, which did suffer a chemical factory tragedy in 1984. The star of the novel is Animal, a child whose bones warped in the chemical fire and now walks on all fours. Animal has an engaging personality, a huge bundle of hope, a libido that is out of control, and a rather irritating style of syntax. Having grown up under the protection of Ma Franci, a French nun, he is taken under the wing of Zafar and Nisha, who run the campaign for justice. Animal falls madly in live with Nisha, but knows that Nisha will choose Zafar over him because of his deformity. Much of Animal's life is spent, then, wishing he could walk upright because then he might have more chance with women.
Then, the campaign for justice scores a hit as a court is willing, 20 years on, to consider seizing the assets of the "Kampani" if it doesn't come to court to answer charges relating to the poisoning. But this is set against a backdrop of political scheming and corruption, apparently led by the Chief Minister himself. A doctress then arrives in Khaufpur, Elli Barber, to run a free clinic for people suffering the after-effects of the poison. Elli-doctress finds things hard going as the town tries to decide whether to trust her. Read more ›
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bitter, angry, obscene, funny - a journey to the heart of the human spirit
22 April 2007
By U. Sinha
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Animal's voice is a tour de force - as strong and individual as the voice in Vernon God Little and equally funny. This a dark, unsentimental portrait of a community who have been shat on from a great height by the rich and powerful and who continue to survive and dream and hunger for a better life. It is an accurate and unsentimental portrait of the India that tourists never see - a world in which the poor help each other not because they are noble or selfless but because they know they can expect no help from anyone else. But though anchored in reality, the book also touches on larger issues and we accompany Animal on a life-changing journey as he struggles with jealousy and loyalty, love and hate and ultimately life and death. I should confess here that I am Indra's sister, but I am also a professional literary consultant and creative writing tutor, used to giving criticism objectively regardless of whose work it is.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The central character, who is also the narrator of this story, is the force which gives the novel its incredible emotional power. Animal, so named because his twisted back forces him must walk on all fours, was the victim of a toxic gas leak from a foreign-owned company in the Indian town of Khaufpur. Animal is crass, obsessed with sex and self-interested enough to slip drugs into a love rival's drinks. Despite this he is an earthy, funny, self-aware and thoroughly likeable character and a brutally honest narrator.
It is perhaps not possible for someone who has not lived through such horrors to truly understand what it must be like for those who have, but getting to know Animal allows us to come as close as we are likely to get. Animal's dealings with the foreign `doctress' Elli also give us a window of understanding that opens onto the chasm that divides most readers from Animal's world, not just because we have not experienced the kind of atrocity he has, but because we are affluent and privileged.
This is a book about cynical exploitation by big business of the situation in less affluent countries. It is about the corruption that hampers the fight for justice and compensation for the victims and it is about the lack of any true understanding by outsiders of the real plight of those who live in `the kingdom of the poor'. It is also a book which brings all this alive in a very visceral way. Noone could be left untouched after reading this novel.
It is perhaps not possible for someone who has not lived through such horrors to truly understand what it must be like for those who have, but getting to know Animal allows us to come as close as we are likely to get. Animal's dealings with the foreign `doctress' Elli also give us a window of understanding that opens onto the chasm that divides most readers from Animal's world, not just because we have not experienced the kind of atrocity he has, but because we are affluent and privileged.
This is a book about cynical exploitation by big business of the situation in less affluent countries. It is about the corruption that hampers the fight for justice and compensation for the victims and it is about the lack of any true understanding by outsiders of the real plight of those who live in `the kingdom of the poor'. It is also a book which brings all this alive in a very visceral way. Noone could be left untouched after reading this novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling
Exciting, readable, scarry, embarrassing - the story of a little boy maltreated by life and his fellow men. Let down by the people who should have protected him.
Published 21 hours ago by Kirsten Korning
1.0 out of 5 stars
Barely readable
In the world of literature, there are four types of books: well-written good stories; poorly written good stories; well-written bad stories; and books like Animal's People.
Published 10 months ago by Marquez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Animals People
An excellent look into the life of a child affected by war, forced to join the army he goes from a normal child to a killer without mercy, then the long way back to a child once... Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. J. Day
5.0 out of 5 stars
Audacious, Funny & Compelling
I'm wondering why this book did not win the Man Booker Prize back in 2007. It is truly a fantastic book for all those who love Indian fiction but let me tell you that even if you... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Yoshay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book Delivery
The book was delivered on time and in good condition ... so no complaints. The book tself is very moving aye it is
Published on 25 Sep 2011 by brammer1
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very moving
Animal's People tells the story of Animal, a young man crippled by toxic gasses caused by an industrial accident is a very moving tribute/outcry about the real 1984 Bhopal... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2011 by aus_books
5.0 out of 5 stars
Animal's People
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a fascinating story, well written and delightfully different from anything else I have read. Highly recommended.
Published on 12 Dec 2010 by M. J. Foote
5.0 out of 5 stars
A people beyond understanding
These days I'm wary of award-listed novels, having read as many I hate as I love. This one is in the latter category. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2010 by D. J. H. Thorn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic writing.
Crippled as a result of an explosion in a foreign chemical factory, Animal survives by relying on the kindness of others and through his own tenacity and independence. Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2009 by b
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book
I found the first few pages of this book quite hard work as it starts off with Animal, the main character, being quite cocky as he debates whether or not to tell his story. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2009 by Mrs. Samara Levy
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