AmosL
08-10-2006, 11:05 AM
A Book Review
Literary Pride--a gay reading circle
MacLennan, Alex. The Zookeeper. Alyson Books, May 2006.
Sam Metcalf at age 34 feels his life is complete. He has a good job, a good home and a new boyfriend. What more could a gay man want?
Having always been fascinated by animals, working as a zookeeper is the perfect job for Sam. He loves his work and hates the bureaucracy of the system. He empathizes with the animals he cares for and even goes to visit them on his days off. Through his work at the zoo, he becomes attached to an older guy, Jack, who has adopted him and trained him for the responsibilities his job requires. At home Sam is close to his family but especially dotes on his nephew, teenage Jamie, whom he will do anything for. His best friend named Laura owns a restaurant that caters to the "arty" crowd and it is there that Sam spends much of his free time. Laura fixes Sam up on a blind date with the weatherman from the local TV, Dean, and he and Sam start on the road to build a comfortable relationship. Sam is the eternal optimist and convinces himself that even if the relationship with Dean doesn't work, his life is full and he is satisfied. Up until now, the story seems quite blah.
Now the complications begin. Dean, unlike Sam, is not always happy. He opens Sam's eyes and tries to show him that what he thinks is happiness is no more than a series of compromises. Dean tells Sam that instead of doing the things he really wants to do he has put his goals on the back burner and that his real aims in life have been surpressed for the good of his family. More so, Dean feels that Sam is compromising his feelings to fit in the niche that Dean expects him to be. Sam, of course, sees the truth in this but counters that Dean is compromising for Sam as well. The security of the zoo is like the security of life--the animals are caged and have no freedom. Thus begins the allegory.
The choices we make are those which make us compromise and limit us from achieving true happiness. As the story moves in a realistic progression similar to the thought processes of the author (which sometimes go way overboard in the descriptions of details of his work at the zoo.) But this also shows how Sam has made the animals the focus of his life. But this is what makes the book so dynamic. It provides us with the impetus to make changes. More of a philosophical study on choice then a gay novel; it outlines for us what we have to do in order to be successful at choice.
Sam is a believable character and identification with him comes easy. As he muses about his life, the reader finds himself doing the same. And the rest of the characters resemble people we all know. Our choices are of our own making. As gay literature there is the inevitable boy meets boy and this is the catalyst for exploring decision making. The desire that Sam has to make everything good and make everyone happy is an issue many of us deal with everyday and Sam provides something of a road map to deal with those ideas.
Perhaps I made this book sound like it is quite heavy reading but it definitely is not. It is perfect for reading around the pool or on the patio. The subject is thick but it is dealt with in such a masterful way that it was a pleasure to read. In the same story all of us have to face. Did we make the right choice? Did we consider the consequences before we chose? Will we make the same mistake again........and again.......and again? What I love about a book like this is that it makes you think-it opens your mind and when you close the covers, you feel as if you made the right choice in reading it.
AMOS LASSEN
Literary Pride--a gay reading circle
MacLennan, Alex. The Zookeeper. Alyson Books, May 2006.
Sam Metcalf at age 34 feels his life is complete. He has a good job, a good home and a new boyfriend. What more could a gay man want?
Having always been fascinated by animals, working as a zookeeper is the perfect job for Sam. He loves his work and hates the bureaucracy of the system. He empathizes with the animals he cares for and even goes to visit them on his days off. Through his work at the zoo, he becomes attached to an older guy, Jack, who has adopted him and trained him for the responsibilities his job requires. At home Sam is close to his family but especially dotes on his nephew, teenage Jamie, whom he will do anything for. His best friend named Laura owns a restaurant that caters to the "arty" crowd and it is there that Sam spends much of his free time. Laura fixes Sam up on a blind date with the weatherman from the local TV, Dean, and he and Sam start on the road to build a comfortable relationship. Sam is the eternal optimist and convinces himself that even if the relationship with Dean doesn't work, his life is full and he is satisfied. Up until now, the story seems quite blah.
Now the complications begin. Dean, unlike Sam, is not always happy. He opens Sam's eyes and tries to show him that what he thinks is happiness is no more than a series of compromises. Dean tells Sam that instead of doing the things he really wants to do he has put his goals on the back burner and that his real aims in life have been surpressed for the good of his family. More so, Dean feels that Sam is compromising his feelings to fit in the niche that Dean expects him to be. Sam, of course, sees the truth in this but counters that Dean is compromising for Sam as well. The security of the zoo is like the security of life--the animals are caged and have no freedom. Thus begins the allegory.
The choices we make are those which make us compromise and limit us from achieving true happiness. As the story moves in a realistic progression similar to the thought processes of the author (which sometimes go way overboard in the descriptions of details of his work at the zoo.) But this also shows how Sam has made the animals the focus of his life. But this is what makes the book so dynamic. It provides us with the impetus to make changes. More of a philosophical study on choice then a gay novel; it outlines for us what we have to do in order to be successful at choice.
Sam is a believable character and identification with him comes easy. As he muses about his life, the reader finds himself doing the same. And the rest of the characters resemble people we all know. Our choices are of our own making. As gay literature there is the inevitable boy meets boy and this is the catalyst for exploring decision making. The desire that Sam has to make everything good and make everyone happy is an issue many of us deal with everyday and Sam provides something of a road map to deal with those ideas.
Perhaps I made this book sound like it is quite heavy reading but it definitely is not. It is perfect for reading around the pool or on the patio. The subject is thick but it is dealt with in such a masterful way that it was a pleasure to read. In the same story all of us have to face. Did we make the right choice? Did we consider the consequences before we chose? Will we make the same mistake again........and again.......and again? What I love about a book like this is that it makes you think-it opens your mind and when you close the covers, you feel as if you made the right choice in reading it.
AMOS LASSEN