Uh-oh.

So, maybe Gabriel has some redeeming features after all. 

‘Mine!’ called Gabriel, holding back the others, as if about to take a free kick. He crept around the table as the mouse finally came to its senses and made a run for it. In an action that seemed to take ages and ages, Gabriel turned to look at me. ‘Kinder, this way,’ he said with a wink, and then, stretching his great crane leg, he squashed the mouse with his vast zoo boot. 

He raised his arm victoriously to cheers, and, as discreetly as I could, I exited through the plastic sheeting and ran to the staff toilets, where I retched into the bowl. A brown torrent of chocolate poured from me. There were so many things I had grown accustomed to. Spiders, snakes, dark spaces, blood. But not this. The endless cruelty that seemed to follow Gabriel, wherever he went.

Gabriel is such an arse. Unfortunately, this is not the type of novel where one can hope for Gabriel to meet a fate befitting his arsiness.

Often, during my secret resting sessions in the enclosure, I stared up at the black of the night sky. Were the bonobos interested in the stars? I wondered. Was it a matter of curiosity to them that, some dark nights, their familiar sky exploded in these countless pinpricks of light? Bonobos are intelligent and emotional in a way that humans can relate to and measure; they have a system of relationships that we might describe as a culture. They do a lot of deep thinking. They have self-consciousness too. Did they wonder what would become of them in the future? When they saw their old or sick companions fall ill and die, did they wonder what happened to them?

Apparently, I'm continuing my foray into "new"-ish writing (as opposed to my usual go-to books published decades ago).

Tho, Polly Clark is not new to me. I loved her debut novel Larchfield, and have wanted to read more by her since. It's just, sometimes books choose their own time. I tried to start Tiger once before but had to set it down again. This afternoon, I picked it up again randomly and was hooked instantly.

We start off with a tiger attacking a poacher. Then we meet a zoologist in the UK, who falls asleep in the bonobo enclosure. 

Now this doesn't in itself sound very thrilling, but Clark's writing lets us know that there is more to the scene. Dr. Frieda Bloom has a past that does not let her rest much. So, when fear catches up with her, she is seeking escape where she can.

I have a hunch that this book will be a thrilling as Larchfield, even tho neither book is a genre thriller. Well, neither is based on crime. And yet, I know that Clark can write a tense psychologically driven plot as well as any "popular" thriller author, and, imo, better than many. 

Anyway, let's see how this one progresses. 

I adored The Ghost Bride, so I had high hopes for Night Tiger, too. Unfortunately, it just could not capture my interest. I gave it an hour and 20 minutes before I DNF'd the audio.

Audiobook, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive.