GORILLA GUERRILLA, from Ch. 24

The rain tumbles down; it does not relent. The forest is hazy, saturated, obscured by the downpour, and during those brief periods when the rain abates, steam rises from the canopy, the thick dense jungle within giving off a great heat.

We hear an unfamiliar sound and my father rises. He arches his great back, its silver fur catching the light, which almost seems to make it glow brightly like a giant leaf wet with dew at sunrise, then digs his knuckles into the ground, his arms erect, shoulders tense, head held high and alert. I look at his lips, which are compressed, then watch him as he stands up and beats his chest, this great rondo of pok-poks resounding throughout the forest. I hoot and chest-beat also, as do two other young males in the group, but we fail, even collectively, to make an equivalent impression. My mother pulls Lisala close to her chest. My father looks to his left, next his right, then lowers himself onto all fours once more. Other females and children in the group scurry behind him, to where my mother and sister are.

I stand beside my father, a few feet back from him, as does Kibu.

And then there is a sudden explosion of noise, and I see my father rise up again, beat his chest, roar, then charge, his knuckles thumping the ground, bulldozing through foliage, and his screams high-pitched, possessing a deafening intensity, as he opens his mouth wide and bares his enormous canine teeth, the hair on his head crest erect.

The last time I had seen my father so angry, it had terrified me, and I realise, at this moment, that the threat posed to us must be from humans: for it is only them that can make him this angry...

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DON DON

'Nick Taussig is clearly a talented writer and this novel contains fine writing and emotionally charged scenes.'
Independent on Sunday

'A mature, searching, interesting and unusual novel.'
Ashley Stokes, Guardian and Times Literary Supplement critic

'A great book.'
Matt Munday, Sunday Times and Telegraph critic

'Pithy and funny, mature and intelligent.'
Paul Blezard, Between the Lines, Oneword

'An entertaining tale.'
Zoo

'A remarkable book ... a meditation on death.'
Marie-Louise Muir, Arts Extra, BBC Radio Ulster

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GORILLA GUERRILLA

'This thought-provoking tale is beautifully told.'
Natasha Harding, The Sun

'This clever and driven story. What a brave novel! It is hunting for big game, which is what a novel should do.'
Ashley Stokes, Guardian and Times Literary Supplement critic

'In this book Nick Taussig evidences his intelligence, humility and humanity by juxtaposing the lives of two higher primates - one of which writes books. The author also thus renders the barriers we erect between our species and others to protect our sense of uniqueness otiose - or at least calls them (quite rightly) into question. Good research lends insight and texture. Avoidance of grandiose prose renders the text unpretentious and distinctly moorish! Perhaps the world would do well to read and ponder?'
Nicholas Green, author of The Shen by Nature

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