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A review by theresejs
Mengele Zoo by Gert Nygårdshaug
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I haven’t quite decided if i liked this book or not. There are some things that I really liked, and some things i really hated. And i can’t believe it has been chosen to be the best norwegian book in 2007 (or whatnot), it certainly is not…
I loved the theme of the book, and i think it is just as important now as it was when it was written. Talking about the environment, the rain forest, genocide, colonisation, racism, capitalism and all the harm it has brought to the world. Very important and interesting topics indeed!
However, i had such a hard time to actually feel empathy and sympathy for the indiginous peoples, at least in the beginning, because of the way they acted. I feel like their behaviour and animal cruelty just confirmes the stereotypes of them being primitive and «less developed» than other people… I of course felt sympathy for them later on, and also their desperation and frustration, which raises the question of «how much damage can you do if the goal is good? The means vs. the end goal etc…»
It lasted almost 17 hours this audio book, i will not read it again. But i might listen to the next in the series, because i got curious in the end of how it goes, after all. And isn’t that what a truly good book should do to you…?
I loved the theme of the book, and i think it is just as important now as it was when it was written. Talking about the environment, the rain forest, genocide, colonisation, racism, capitalism and all the harm it has brought to the world. Very important and interesting topics indeed!
However, i had such a hard time to actually feel empathy and sympathy for the indiginous peoples, at least in the beginning, because of the way they acted. I feel like their behaviour and animal cruelty just confirmes the stereotypes of them being primitive and «less developed» than other people… I of course felt sympathy for them later on, and also their desperation and frustration, which raises the question of «how much damage can you do if the goal is good? The means vs. the end goal etc…»
It lasted almost 17 hours this audio book, i will not read it again. But i might listen to the next in the series, because i got curious in the end of how it goes, after all. And isn’t that what a truly good book should do to you…?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation