The Zoo Paperback by Christopher Wilson

Product Details

• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton (2018-05-01)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 240 pages
• ISBN-13: 9780735233973
• Item Weight: 249.48 grams
• Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 cm

Patrick deWitt meets Catch 22, when a guileless young boy gets mixed up in Stalin's inner circle.

There are certain things that Yuri Zipit knows:
1. That being official food-taster for the Great Leader of the Soviet Union requires him to drink too much vodka for a twelve-year-old.
2. That you do not have to be an Elephantologist to see that the Great Leader is dying.
3. Yuri's father is somewhere here in the Dacha.
4. It's a crime to love your family more than you love Socialism, the Party or the Republic.
5. That, because of his damaged mind, everyone thinks Yuri is a fool.
But Yuri isn't. He sits quietly through excessive state dinners and witnesses it all--betrayals, body doubles, buffoonery. He's starting to get the hang of this politics thing, but there's so much to learn. Who knew that a man could be in five places at once? That someone could break your nose as a sign of friendship? That people could be disinvented?
The Zoo is a cutting satire, told through the refreshing voice of one gutsy boy who will not give up on hope.

About the Author

CHRISTOPHER WILSON is the author of novels including Gallimauf's Gospel, Baa, Blueglass, Mischief, Fou, The Wurd, The Ballad of Lee Cotton, and Nookie. His work has been translated into several languages, adapted for the stage and twice shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award.
Wilson completed a published PhD on the psychology of humour at LSE, worked widely as a research psychologist and semiotic consultant and lectured for ten years at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has taught creative writing in prisons, at university and for The Arvon Foundation. He lives in North London.