King

by Gareth Crocker

Elijah Rolene is a lost man. Following the death of his wife, he quits his job as a police pilot and turns to prescription painkillers for comfort. Not content to watch him destroy his life, his veterinarian sister convinces him to help out at her animal shelter. Soon, they rescue a rare white lion cub from the heart of Detroit's gangland. The lion is brought to live with them and instantly connects with Elijah's autistic niece, Harper. As Harper is brought out of her shell, so Elijah begins to heal as well. But something happens that puts their family at risk and threatens to tear their world apart. Elijah is faced with a question that will define the rest of his life: How far will you go if you have nothing left to lose?

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Gareth Crocker was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1974. He has a degree in English, Psychology and Communications and has worked as a journalist, copywriter, news editor, public relations manager, publishing editor and, most recently, head of communications and spokesperson for a multinational corporation. Writing is done at night, in a dark room, next to a small window, under a bright moon. Leaving Jack is his first novel, which he wrote in the company of his three dogs, Jill, Rusty and Jack. A new US hardcover version of Leaving Jack, entitled Finding Jack is due for release on February 15, 2011.

Reviews

[Melissa Delport · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle but emotional read, with the typical Crocker humour to take the sting out of it!

[Phillipa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I've been looking forward to this book since I read my first Gareth Crocker novel. Relying on his laugh-out-loud funny blog posts in the meantime.

This book was different, as I was expecting it might be. Although it still has his easy-going storytelling style, this was a sad story to read.

I'll be honest, as I finished the last pages, I had tears in my eyes. And I never cry in movies ... and only very seldom cry when I read books. Animals, they tug at the heart-strings, without question.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a heart-wrenching story, who wants to feel something, who hopes for the better lives of animals everywhere.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like A Lion in the Bedroom by Pat Cavendish O'Neill.

[Kim Ebner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story that I really enjoyed. I think it might have been more of a 3 1/2 star read for me as although it was good, it was a little predictable. I enjoyed it though and so I gave 4 stars.

[Jenny Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gareth Crocker has such an "easy reading" style of writing! I just love his books.

[Alma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story tugs at your heart; sad but sprinkled with enough to humour and happiness to make it a pleasure to read.

[Siyamthanda Skota · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gareth Crocker’s love for animals is quite evident from a signature photo which he uses at the back of all his books. His first novel Finding Jack was quite successful to a point where it was published to international acclaim. He’s since published two novels after that achievement and KING is his forth novel. One wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t sold any movie rights to screenwriters because the man is well known for his damn good TV/film writing skills. I mean one doesn’t need to be an animal lover to follow his magnificent writing. Forget your feelings towards all the animals he always writes about, the stories and his writing are good enough to keep one’s nose stuck in between the beautiful pages of his well-produced novels.



Subtitled “How Far Would You Go to Save the Ones You Love”, KING is an emotional rollercoaster which takes place between one cold and snowy Detroit (USA) and the warm animal friendly Kruger National Park (SA). Elijah Rolene is a troubled man who’s lost his dad and wife. Struggling to cope with the death of his late wife, after resigning from his cop job, Eli turns into a drug addict. He turns to chewing tons of painkillers several times a day for stress relief over and over again. But fortunately his sister who is a vet notices the addiction and invites him to assist her at her animal shelter which has a very special place in her heart. In not time, they rescue a rare white lion cub and take it to the shelter. But because the shelter isn’t suitable enough to accommodate the young lion, Eli and his sister take the lion to live with them in the house. Instantly, the white lion and Eli’s autistic niece connect profoundly.



Not only does his niece find healing from having the majestic and kind wild animal in the house, Eli also finds some healing through the emotional connection he shares with the lion as time goes on. But this absolutely “perfect” picture is threatened by the fact that they are not allowed to keep the lion in the house. And there aren’t any good animal shelters to take King in anymore. The events take a horrific turn as the entire family faces a prospect of losing King forever and Eli gives us answers to the subtitle of the fast-paced novel: “How Far Would You Go to Save the Ones You Love” in the rest of the book.



Without taking away anything from his unquestionable talents, one must indicate that Crocker’s obsession with a girl child and a male figure being victims in two consecutive novels is quite banal. Here he’s trying to raise awareness on autism and one would like to extend a hand to him to show one’s appreciation but the pattern of the girl-child-victim is tired and dull.



In a true Crocker style, the book offers quite an adventurous experience. From the USA to SA one will find it absolutely easy to travel with the author without losing anything to connect the story throughout the transition.

It is the most extraordinary account of relations between men and animals. It’s about how profound relationships can develop between the two and actually heal hearts while leading to glorious self-fulfillment.



While this is mainly a story for animal lovers, it is also a magnificent story for all the readers who are suckers for emotional and poignant thrillers. Even though one would never go out of one’s way to save a white lion, it is absolutely fathomable why someone else would save one. It’s almost a calling. But we all should care enough to preserve our nature and wild animals. We all need each other because we are one!

[Monique Snyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few books have ever been able to get an emotional response from me, but King by Gareth Crocker falls into the niche category that brought me to tears. The story of Eli is one filled with heartache and loss, with a few moments of joy pushed in between. It’s a tale of a man who has lost everything, including his hope, but soon finds a new purpose in life through saving a rare white lion cub from certain death and watching his autistic niece come out of her shell when she meets King. It’s a heartbreaking story that has a bittersweet ending and it’s a story that would definitely appeal to a wide audience. Of course, I’ve read some of Gareth Crocker’s previous works and I’m well aware of his ability to capture the attention of readers, but King is by far one of his greatest achievements in the literary world. It’s a short book, which I completed in just over four hours, but it’s a good read and one worth buying.

Crocker doesn’t fumble around with words that have no place for them. His stories begin where they should and end where they have to, making it an exceptionally well-written book with no editorial errors that I could see. What’s more is that it’s a gripping book that is set primarily in Detroit, but also comes back to South Africa – Crocker’s homeland. Making it suitable for American and South African readers alike.

Readers will fall in love with King and Harper immediately, their innocence turning what could have been a very hard, cliche book into a beautiful story that moved me to quite an extent. Eli on the other hand took a while to really pin down as to whether he was likable or not, but by the end of the story, he won me over. What I particularly enjoyed though was that it wasn’t a crude book, even though there were many opportunities where the book could have turned into something unlikable…

It takes a special writer to pull off what Gareth Crocker was able to do with King, but he did it with ease and I applaud him for creating a book that would forever stay in the back of my mind. King would make a fantastic Christmas gift this year for any bookworm who loves to read about lions, especially if they want to laugh and cry and be haunted by a tale that is both beautiful and bittersweet.

(review originally posted on www.killeraphrodite.com)

[Joan Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this book as much as I did Crocker's "Never Let me go". It's still a good read though and the fact that it deals with the important issue of the lion hunting trade makes it a relevant one too. I enjoyed the witty, fast-paced banter between the characters, but thought the antagonist was just TOO one-sided in his 'badness'.

[Eric Cornhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little pedestrian in the beginning but the end was brilliant.

[Fiona McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story of family and unconditional love. Gareth Crocker is a great story teller with a perfect balance of humour and heart ache.

[Jackie Kleynhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart touching and captivating read. Beautiful story and very well written.

[Diane V-R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hidden gem in our Book Club. Ignore this book at your peril! Loved it.