The Beasts of Paris
Against the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian War and the Siege of Paris in 1870/71, a number of mostly unconnected characters are drawn inexorably into the war. Anne, a Salpêtrière resident, becomes the head veterinarian’s housekeeper at the ménagerie. In a peaceful Paris, the ménagerie is a sanctuary for her and particularly Marguerite, the aloof tigress whose vicinity Anne craves. Other visitors just come to taunt the feral creatures for personal entertainment. Victor, a keeper and like-minded animal lover, expresses his fondness for Anne, although she is reticent about his advances. Ellis, a disillusioned American surgeon, reluctantly finds he holds the key to life and death in his hands. Lawrence, a struggling gay Canadian photographer, falls in love with Ellis. Fanny, a nude model for a studio producing furtively sold postcards, is employed as the studio owners’ housemaid when the market runs dry. She befriends Anne during encounters in the bread lines.
As human survival patterns align more closely with the animal world, one wonders whether the watchful Marguerite is any more imprisoned than the stranded citizens of Paris. Penney has skillful command of the interplay between her characters as they negotiate an upended world, where humans collectively devolve into feral behaviour, fighting over food and survival. Profiteering quickly separates rich from poor, and the unequal hierarchy within both the human and bestial worlds becomes clearer. Themes of unrequited affection and unspoken feelings meander through a complex narrative about belonging and fitting in, why we so often don’t, and the importance of finding a safe haven in our lives. As indiscriminate violence escalates, readers may wonder who the real beasts of Paris are. A graphic representation of the city, showing the novel’s locations, is a welcome addition.
