Bookrate

This remarkable novel is about vulnerable animals and the people who hunt them; and it's about us- our pasts and our present, and the way we see the world.A silverback mountain gorilla comes to us with a secret.Named Einstein for his remarkable intelligence, he is found in a zoo in a city soon to be at war by a young woman, Dr Graciela Saddiq.Charged with the care of all the animals in the zoo, Dr Sadiq soon finds what makes Einstein unique- he can communicate with humans using sign language.But Einstein is wary of Dr Sadiq - and of people in general. And with good reason.As time goes by she gains his confidence, and each evening as darkness falls and the zoo empties, Einstein tells her his story as well as those of other animals he has known.But war is looming, and as the bombing of the city begins, Dr Saddiq realises that her and Einstein's lives are in terrible danger ...'Stunningly original, moving and engrossing' Derek Jacobi'I found myself falling in love with Einstein. So smart, he breaks your heart' Celia Imrie'I will remember the story of Einstein for the rest of my life. This book should be read by everyone' Virginia McKenna