Competitive Non-Fiction

There is a part of me that ached the whole time I was reading Fauna. Within the first few pages, I wasn’t sure that I would make it through the book. When the protagonist remembers the specific event that sent her on mental health leave from her job as a federal wildlife officer, I put down the book and couldn’t look at it for a few days. But, much like the main character, Edal Jones, I slowly came back around to face it, and while it was a bittersweet journey, I’m glad that I pushed through and finished the book, because eventually the ache became secondary to how much I loved these characters.

This story is about Edal Jones, a federal wildlife officer living in Toronto, whose job involves investigating and dealing with people who are smuggling animals illegally into the country. These animals often don’t survive the journey and her heart wrenching discoveries are described in detail. One day, while on stress leave, she sees a young woman picking up and collecting injured and dead birds that have hit windows downtown.  She follows the woman and her dog to a junkyard, where she is slowly integrated into a small community of people who perform (often illegal) acts of compassion for urban wildlife. In many cases, rehabilitating injured animals.

The story takes place near Toronto’s Don Valley, an urban wildlife corridor that provides a wild refuge for animals and people that live on the fringe of human society. While this novel ties together the lives of the people who are connected through their love of animals, none of the characters are preachy or obnoxious about their beliefs; they were simply drawn together by a mutual drive to care for urban animals. In fact, I was surprised that none of the characters were even vegan or vegetarian.

This is a quiet novel. The plot is revealed slowly and deliberately through the eyes of characters who are relatable in their awkwardness, pain and love. I was impressed with how much the author cared for and sympathized with the characters, regardless of whether the character was one of the protagonists or the villain. In fact, this is one of the most well-drawn villains I’ve ever come across.

My one complaint was that a particular conflict over coyotes felt somewhat forced. The story didn’t really need it to make it a powerful novel. It would have been better served if the sole conflict remained the inner battle Edal was raging. - how to continue with her calling despite the fact that it was killing her emotionally. The more obvious conflict over the coyotes detracted from the more important one.

I loved that the focus of the novel was on the treatment of animals without being preachy. That the love story was beautiful and quiet and built up over time. I loved that there were loose ends and mysteries that went unexplained. Mostly, I loved that this book reminded me that there are still reasonable people out there working in quiet, often personal, ways towards animal welfare, without resorting to scare tactics or offensive isolating maneuvers to get their point across.

I would highly recommend this novel. If you’re an animal lover like me, it will make you ache. It will tie up your insides and make your blood boil, but it’ll be worth it.