The Rome Zoo

by Pascal Janovjak

Depuis 1911, Rome voit vivre en son cœur, au beau milieu de l’antique, dans la verdure et sur dix-sept hectares, un zoo extraordinaire. Figure principale de ce livre, ce lieu baroque saura attirer, au fil des décennies, un monde de personnalités aussi diverses que Mussolini et sa lionne domestique, le pape, les actrices de Cinecittà ou Salman Rushdie…
Mais l’auteur de ce roman ne se contente pas d’entraîner le lecteur dans la mémoire d’un lieu. Il en réinvente aussi le présent, en suivant les traces de Giovanna, directrice de la communication du zoo, et de Chahine, architecte algérien, l’un par l’autre attirés, l’un et l’autre fascinés par un tamanoir, ultime survivant de son espèce, objet des soins jaloux d’un vétérinaire sans scrupules et d’un gardien en fin de carrière.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Italy

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 3, 2021

Reviews

[Tundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to warm to this book so 3 stars moved to 4 by the end. This has a quirky storyline and an oblique way of describing events that left me feeling like I was on slippery ground understanding exactly what was going on. As the story unfurls and the characters become familiar I was able to enjoy the underlying humour.
There was also a lot of commentary going on:
- the purpose and establishing of zoos - I’m sure the descriptions of animal attrition and animal deaths (while fictional here) are probably grounded in reality.
- the disturbing passion and obsession that people develop towards the tamandin (a fictional animal and the last of its species in the world) the need of people to control and dominate their environment
- the rise and fall of the zoos fortunes, excesses and decay that align with Italy’s own century of history
- the lengths that scientists (may) go to to achieve their own success

***- and this - “It hardy matters, since these days the role of journalism is first and foremost to prolong the reverberation of tragedy.”

There’s also the characters personal stories of love and loss ebbing and flowing in the background.

A genuine, unusual and thoughtful book.

[Rozanna Lilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this novel. Sometimes there are a whole lot of experiences that connect us to the setting of a book. The Rome Zoo is set, well, in the Rome Zoo. I have no idea whether elements of the history are real but we are firmly in the register of the fable. Like many people, I have always loved zoos. When I was a kid, my first publication was a letter to a newspaper about the treatment of orangutans at Perth Zoo. It was nearish my childhood home and I often walked past, peering through the fence at the extraordinary world just beyond. Once we moved to Sydney, I was entranced with Taronga Zoo. My mother had, in the distant past, had a relationship with Ron Strahan who was the director from 1967-1974, and this somehow added to a feeling of connection. At drama school we all had to be an animal. I chose, perversely, a camel, which meant hours standing in front of the enclosure watching its behaviour. Later when I did anthropology, I used to think about doing a study of human behaviour at the zoo, always being particularly amazed by the things people said and did in front of gorillas and chimps, that refracted mirror not necessarily bringing out the best in them. Anyway, long digression. The Rome Zoo juxtaposes past and present - we have tales of old Rome, which reminded me of the film 'La Grande Bellezza'. And then we have the present, haunted by the past. It's a kind of love story and a sort of meditation on grief, loss and madness. At times, it is very funny, with droll send-ups of social media and academia, indeed, of all the spin-off industries that use animals to achieve human ambitions. Most centrally, it pivots around the story of the last living example of a species and what that edge of extinction represents for a variety of actors. Mostly, it was the tone of this novel that so drew me in - it combined a kind of florid romanticism with a deep remoteness, a combination that sang to me.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
There is a brilliance to this book I haven’t quite understood yet. I know it will take another read and some more thoughts but it was such an interesting view into humanity, time and Anthropocene.

Honestly the only reason it went down in rating is because I got confused with the jumping timelines and I was left confused about a few details.

Would HIGHLY recommend

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a dark novel, a little confusing, timelines jumped and animals died. There was a little romance, but honestly, most of the time I couldn't piece together what was happening til later in the novel. Still glad I read it...

[Andrew Westle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is so off beat, drifting between time. Set in a zoo, constantly trying to reinvent itself against different social contexts, to continue to survive.
The fictional animal the tamandin (ant eater), almost extinct but surviving only in the zoo. A star attraction, that expresses the total ridiculousness of humans attempts to celebrate their sense of taming the world.
The book is witty, off beat and really joyous. I think it’s one of those books that would benefit from a reread.

[Patsy Bourke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is some beautiful prose in this rather short in length story. The chapters are also brief and alternate between the early days of the zoo 100 years prior which are written in the present tense; and the current time, written in the past tense. As it progresses, the past catches up to the present.

It is initially a confusing book and it helped that I had listened to an interview with Stephanie Smee, who translated the French text of an Italian tale into English. The historical chapters provide a reference to Italy's progress through various political and other major frameworks. It may help having some existing knowledge.

The last surviving specimen of imagined animal a bit like an anteater provides a marketing opportunity to attract visitors to the failing zoo. The relationship of the keeper to the tamandin is quite special.

How this place has survived to the present day is a bit of a mystery through periods of neglect, war, and lack of long term planning. It is actually quite close to the city centre and if a trip to Rome from afar occurs, would be a point of interest to visit.

[Julianne Quaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and thought-provoking book about the changing relations humans have to the animal kingdom as seen through the fortunes of a zoo over its 100 year history. In short connected episodes the book addresses a range of themes and narratives - from colonisation in Africa to obtain species, the building of an Italian empire and a zoo to rival those of other colonial powers’, through to animal rights and a public easily manipulated to see a last living member of its species. The narrative moves back and forth in time creating a dreamlike sequence of events to ponder over. Highly recommended.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to describe this tale. Not a traditional plot, a timeline that goes in and out. When ghost seeing Chahine meets determined zoo manager, Giovanna, there is a connection, but he is so devastated by personal loss he disappears. The zoo keepers thread history throughout and the nearly extinct tamandua (lesser ant eater) provides a marketing ploy and an odd attraction for lovers. The audio narrator had a soothing voice. Do read.

[Katie Snell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is closer to a 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this interesting read about the Rome Zoo and learnt a lot about the history of zoos overtime, their treatment of animals and their treatment of Indigenous people. It is told from the point of view of several characters which is really interesting, however, there was not really a complete conclusion to each story and I would have like a little more of this.

[Natasha Cowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

An observation of humanity against the backdrop of The Rome Zoo. This novel follows the stories of several people with intimate ties to the institution.

I really didn’t like this. The characters were boring, there wasn’t much of a plot, the use of the zoo as a metaphor for Rome was boring and the jumps in time were clunky and unclear. Disappointing for a book about a zoo. The animals deserve better.

[Nail Sub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful, sensitive, quirky book with a lightness about it that serves the narration well as it flits from the present to the past and back again...and from reality to near fantasy without any sign that the author is apologetic! Loved it.

[Elyse NG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Histoire romancée, un peu de réalisme magique, fatalisme, tout cela pour un récit qui transporte

[Sharon Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost in translation perhaps? A French language novel set in Italy translated to English. I have no idea what or who this book was about; what actually happened or what was the point.

[Oizram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Culto istantaneo

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup apprécié l'atmosphère qui ressort de ce livre, on se balade entre les époques comme on se baladerait dans un zoo.

[Jason McCracken]

DNF. 13%. Meh.

[Melissa Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really if interest to me, I perhaps needed to read it again to gain more history of animals and the era.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slow and opaque beginning but this split-narrative tale becomes more and more engrossing as it moves towards its extraordinary denouement. Delightful! Beautifully translated.

[Victoria Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting... Different. Enjoyed it.

[Therese Cawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely history of the zoo and very interesting how the politics of the time had an impact.

[Georgia Nowlan-Full · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book!! simple story that was interesting

[Raphaëlle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pas passionnant mais divertissant, extrêmement bien écrit... livre d'été, d'atmosphère.

[Hélène · Rating 3 out of 5]

Club de lecture Bibli (25 nov 2021: Des animaux et des hommes- avec Eléphant de Martin Suter)
Un bon auteur, grande maîtrise du récit, ms trop glauque pr moi!
Humour se dérision