Animal's People: A Novel

Indra Sinha

Mar 2008 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

In this Booker-shortlisted novel, Indra Sinha’s profane, furious, and scathingly funny narrator delivers an unflinching look at what it means to be human.

I used to be human once. So I’m told. I don’t remember it myself, but people who knew me when I was small say I walked on two feet, just like a human being...

Ever since he can remember, Animal has gone on all fours, his back twisted beyond repair by the catastrophic events of “that night” when a burning fog of poison smoke from the local factory blazed out over the town of Khaufpur, and the Apocalypse visited his slums. Now just turned seventeen and well schooled in street work, he lives by his wits, spending his days jamisponding (spying) on town officials and looking after the elderly nun who raised him, Ma Franci. His nights are spent fantasizing about Nisha, the girlfriend of the local resistance leader, and wondering what it must be like to get laid.

When Elli Barber, a young American doctor, arrives in Khaufpur to open a free clinic for the still suffering townsfolk—only to find herself struggling to convince them that she isn’t there to do the dirty work of the Kampani—Animal gets caught up in a web of intrigues, scams, and plots with the unabashed aim of turning events to his own advantage.

Profane, piercingly honest, and scathingly funny, Animal’s People illuminates a dark world shot through with flashes of joy and lunacy. A stunning tale of an unforgettable character, it is an unflinching look at what it means to be human: the wounds that never heal and a spirit that will not be quenched.

Ratings and reviews

This novel is one of the 1001 books to read before you die and a Man Booker Prize winner. The setting is a fictional town, Khaufpur; based on Bhopal. Bhopal was the scene of the chemical disaster at a Union Carbide factory. The good: excellent characterization for the most part. The protagonist, Animal(he must go on all fours because of the twisting in his back due to the local pesticide plant explosion in his childhood), is the narrator. The bad: unexpected non explamations

What an amazing character Animal is, it's 1 of my favorite books. Gifted author should write Animal's People 2!

This is a book which every India should read. It is about Bhopal gas tragedy

About the author

Indra Sinha was born in India. His work of non-fiction, The Cybergypsies, and his first novel, The Death of Mr Love, met with widespread critical acclaim. He lives in France.