Happy weekend! This week’s book review is a historical fiction gem that makes a perfect escape into adventure. Lynda Rutledge’s West with Giraffes is an emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. I listened to the audio version, which really brought the characters to life. Enjoy!
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Animals can tear your heart out. They can maim you. They can kill you dead on instinct alone and saunter into the next minute like it was nothing. But at least you know the ground rules with animals. You can count the cost of breaking the rules. You never know with people. Even the good can hurt you bad, and the bad, well, they’re going to hurt you but good.”
So says the deceptively wise Riley Jones to his orphan driving companion on their trek across the country in West With Giraffes. This rollicking adventure begins in 1937, when two giraffes shipped from overseas make it to New York Harbor after surviving a hurricane that destroys the ship and most of the crew. The giraffes, wounded and weary, survive and set out on a harrowing journey across the United States on one of the county’s two highways, destined for the San Diego Zoo.
In a series of improbable, but not impossible events, 17-year-old Woodrow Wilson Nickel, orphaned and homeless due to the Dust Bowl, ends up with the job of driving the rig transporting the giraffes with zookeeper and giraffe whisperer Riley Jones (aka Old Man). Along the way, they are followed and then accompanied by Augusta “Red” a photographer aiming to chronicle their story for Life Magazine. And the two characters that steal the show are “the darlings,” Boy and Girl, who grab hold of the reader’s attention and heart throughout the story. The cast of characters is colorful and Rutledge makes them come to life through her well researched setting, and their true-to-life observations of the human condition and the world around them.
During their roadtrip, they encounter every kind of obstacle caused by both humans and mother nature. At points, the trouble is almost too much to take in, but they manage to survive and endure. The chapters are broken up by scenes of Woody in a nursing home, over 100 years old and feverishly writing his story before he runs out of time. These chapters take the reader out of the story, but they are also pause and punctuation for the action-packed roadtrip.
Woody brings with him his backstory of the trauma he experienced at home in Texas as he tries to carve out an identity and a place for himself in the harsh conditions of the time. At one point, Red says to him, “Home is not where you’re from…it’s where you want to be.”
The story is packed with nuggets of wisdom from these world-weary travelers, as much as it is packed with colloquialisms reflective of the time and the characters. It exposes the grim realities of the suffering and desperation of the Dust Bowl era, but also provides a joyful escape for the people (and the reader) who get to experience the magic of seeing these majestic creatures.
Ultimately, it is a big-hearted story of the beauty of animals, running and healing from the past, and finding your true home. A story I recommend to anyone who wants to escape the harsh realities of this day and age, and rest in the shade of gentle giants.
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