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A review by jessicaesquire
The Aye-Aye and I by Gerald Durrell
This book is like if James Herriot was in Madagascar rather than the British countryside. It is very interesting from a conservation point of view, lots of adventures with animals. It is also a real curiosity because despite being written in the 90's it feels like it could have been written 100 years ago. It is rollicking in that way that travel writing rarely is anymore and Durrell clearly cares deeply about his mission.
You can let this book sweep you away with its charms (it is quite charming and funny) but at some point it will inevitably sour. Durrell writes about the Malagasy people without even a hint of concern about the fact that he is from a white country that colonized and enslaved people just like the Malagasy for hundreds of years, and that has portrayed the people of the African continent as godless savages for even longer. It would have taken just a little bit of thought to avoid these pitfalls. Durrell is mostly respectful and delighted by the people he encounters, but when he goes wrong it can go awfully wrong. Much of his frustration, as a conservationist, is directed more towards the governments that know better but don't care, rather than the people themselves, he is close but he is not quite there.
The audio reader (it has just been recorded as an audiobook for the first time) is perfectly suited to the material.
You can let this book sweep you away with its charms (it is quite charming and funny) but at some point it will inevitably sour. Durrell writes about the Malagasy people without even a hint of concern about the fact that he is from a white country that colonized and enslaved people just like the Malagasy for hundreds of years, and that has portrayed the people of the African continent as godless savages for even longer. It would have taken just a little bit of thought to avoid these pitfalls. Durrell is mostly respectful and delighted by the people he encounters, but when he goes wrong it can go awfully wrong. Much of his frustration, as a conservationist, is directed more towards the governments that know better but don't care, rather than the people themselves, he is close but he is not quite there.
The audio reader (it has just been recorded as an audiobook for the first time) is perfectly suited to the material.