She does love animals, though, especially a dingo called Sue, even though Sue had bitten her when she was trying to release her from some wire. Jean drinks too much, smokes too much, and is harsh and uncouth. Jean’s son Lee, already suffering from the influenza returns home, and takes his estranged daughter Kimberley with him. When the infection finally reached the wildlife refuge, they were closed down immediately. Instead, people were driven crazy by the voices that they heard, and as fear gripped the community, some chose to expunge every animal from their environment while others were drawn to the animals who surrounded them, to their own peril. I must admit that the implausibility of this turned me off from the start. News begins filtering through of a pandemic – – colloquially known as ‘zooflu’ which turns your eyes red and makes you able to understand animals talking. Kimberley’s mother, Ange,the manager of the refuge, grudgingly allows Jean to live on site even though her partner, Lee (Jean’s son) shot through years ago. She is an untrained wildlife carer and guide in a refuge, a job that allows her to be close to her granddaughter Kimberley. Jean is an older woman who has lived hard. High praise indeed, but I’m afraid that it left me rather cold. ‘A game-changing, life-changing’ novel, it is supposed to be, according to Ceridwen Dovey. This book won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for 2021 and it comes emblazoned with glowing praise from other writers and reviews.
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