The elephant keepers' children

by

392 pages

English language

Published Dec. 20, 2012 by Harvill Secker.

ISBN:
978-1-84655-584-8
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
794296741

View on OpenLibrary

(1 review)

Told from the precocious perspective of fourteen-year-old Peter, this book is about three siblings and how they deal with life alongside their eccentric parents. Peter's father is a vicar, his mother is an artisan, and both are equally and profoundly devout. The family lives on the (fictional) island of Fino, where people of all religious faiths coexist peacefully. Yet, nothing is at it seems. When Peter's parents suddenly go missing, Peter and his siblings fear the worst-has their parents' relentless quest to boost church attendance finally put them in danger? Told with poignancy and humor, this is a fascinating exploration of fundamentalism versus spiritual freedom, the vicissitudes of romantic and familial love, and the triumph of the human spirit.

2 editions

reviewed The elephant keepers' children by Peter Høeg

Review of "The elephant keepers' children" on 'Storygraph'

This was a very weird book. I'm wondering if I actually missed something by listening to it instead of reading it. I thought it was charming, with a nice dry sense of humor, but I never really figured out if I liked it. And I admit I was a little taken aback by how it ended. Honestly, I was a little bored listening to it. That might have been the fault of the reader, though.

Subjects

  • Religious tolerance
  • Families
  • Missing persons
  • Domestic fiction
  • Religious life
  • Fiction