#theoneandonlyivan

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

The One and Only Ivan (2020) ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

’The One and Only Ivan’, by Katherine Applegate, tells the story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla, who has been living in captivity at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall. Ivan lives in his glass domain, and is, for the most part, content with his life despite its boredom. With the arrival of Ruby – a baby elephant – at the Big Top Mall, Ivan’s repetitive, humdrum existence is changed forever. When he suffers a devastating loss of one of his friends, and is bound by a promise to them, Ivan sees his ’home’ for what it really is – and consequently hatches a plan to help Ruby escape his fate. In some ways, Ruby is a reflection of what Ivan once was: naïve, innocent, forced into a life alien to the one she should have been living. She is the catalyst for his eyes being opened. Ivan’s natural identity as a gorilla has been warped and twisted into a version that fit human demands; to himself, he is both foreign and familiar. The only remnants of his time in the jungle are blurred, hazy memories that have been long repressed. As his tragic and forgotten past slowly unfolds, so do they. He lives with contented resignation of where life has taken him. Until Ruby arrives, he makes no attempt to escape the prison he’s been living in for 27 years, because it’s all he’s ever known. Ivan’s experience and relationship with humans is complicated: he has seen them be both cruel and kind. He knows not to tar all humans with the same brush. His perspective is a reminder that no matter how kind they can be, the fact remains that they do not fully understand animals, and never will. The book seems to suggest that sometimes, some animals are best left alone to thrive where they will. One of the most distinguishing features of the novel is the fact that each chapter contains one particularly poignant and hard-hitting sentence. It’s very much a children’s story, being an extremely light read and fairly fast-paced. Deep emotion is balanced with humour. It’s a bittersweet tale about friendship and freedom.