Heartbreaking but hopefully, too

 

  ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  A painful, gut-wrenching read that is fundamentally important in its subject matter. In Interviews with an Ape we meet a number of animals who have had their lives disrupted from nature's intended course by humans. All are brutal narratives and heartbreaking. As an animal lover I struggled through more than one of tales. But, I persevered and was next introduced to the humans who inflicted themselves on these animals. Some were cruel, yes, but most were victims of difficult life circumstances and had to do what they needed to to survive and feed their families. A thought provoking section that showed that animals were not the only casualties in this novel. The next set of people we met were the ones actively working to better the lives of the animals by bringing hope to the cruel situations of the animals we, by now, know rather well and care for.

This is a story of man's cruelty but also one of hope. We can make a difference in the choices we make, in the food we eat, in the medicines and products we buy. We, as humans, are intelligent but must ensure the power, knowledge and reasoning we possess is used to the betterment of animals and the wider world rather than using them to fulfill our own selfish ends. Interviews with an Ape is a thought-provoking read that makes me view things differently and hope it opens the eyes of the masses to the plight of animals globally.