the white bone

by barbara gowdy

it's been quite a while since i've read an animal-based novel - one where the narrator is an animal and it all takes place in that animal's world (eg. one of my all-time favourites, black beauty or watership down) if you didn't figure it out yet, the white bone is much in this strain. the setting: the world of the she (i.e. elephants) in africa.

the elephants have been facing two different problems - they're being hunted for their tusks by "the hindleggers" (i.e. humans) and there's a horrible drought. to survive this all, they are looking for "the safe place". the legendary "white bone" will point them in the direction of the place. so really, they are in search of the white bone.

it was a rather interesting novel ... to say the least. it was educational, much like the discovery channel is. but, some of it was just a little too much. i don't watch the animal stuff on the discovery channel for a reason. i don't find the mating rituals of animals all that ... fascinating. and there was quite a bit of talk of that in the book.

what i did like though, was the creation of a whole belief system. it was the world of the she. they didn't give birth, they simply had calf tunnels dug through them. the bulls were nothing but diggers. the she-ones (i.e. elephants) saw themselves as the superior creature. but every animal had a name for itself - they all thought they were the superior creature. i can't think of any of them right now, but i found it interesting. the way that every creature thinks of itself as the best - humans are no exception.

also, the she-ones thought humans were evolved from the she (which is interesting b/c that put humans on the same intellect level as the she-ones); two elephants were on a trek once and so hungry that they ate the flesh of another animal (that is seen as one of the hugest sins ever by the she-ones) and thus turned into hindleggers.

i find it hard to take novels taking place in the animal world and narrated by an animal as a really adult novel. but that's just my book snobbishness shining through, i suppose. why am i a book snob? i don't think i really have the right. ah well.