Post-apocalyptic Britian, with all the humans gone and just animals roaming around the mostly flooded landscape. While many of the animals stick to their own kind- herds of muttering sheep, packs of dogs, etc.- there’s a motley group at the center of the story- a horse, cow, pigeon, cat and dog- later also joined by a parrot. And then there’s Stanley. While the reader can soon guess what kind of animal Stanley is, the five animal friends have no clue. Other animals they run into are baffled by Stanley too, and their reactions vary from avoidance and mockery to aggression (“is it edible? that creature…” inquires an eagle). While the other animals don’t much care about human artifacts, Stanley is fascinated by them and constantly rummages through ruins of buildings for tools and oddities, trying to figure out their purpose. The results are sometimes hilarious, sometimes an ironic commentary about human nature (a lot of reading between the lines will get you that in this book). I laughed out loud at Stanley’s reaction to a typewriter. Then the animals find a sign from something called the London Zoo that depicts an animal like Stanley, so they decide to travel there in search of his kind. Lots of little mishaps, run-ins with other animals and amusing incidents along the way. Especially stuck in my mind was an encounter they had with hordes of animals that held an annual ritual at Stonehenge- without really knowing why they did it so- very unsettling. In the end, they finally reach their destination and do encounter Stanley’s kind, but what the London Zoo has become is something totally unexpected.
This was a quick read, really funny and thoughtful in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. I especially enjoyed the scenes where the animals found old museums and empty theaters, how baffled they were by the displays (and by Stanley’s attempts at acting, which the others couldn’t understand the purpose of at all). I’ll certainly read more by this author if I come across any of her books in future.
