Tiger Tiger, Lynne Reid Banks
I thought I’d start with something different for my first book review, something that was simple and that took me for a pleasant trip down memory lane. When I was younger, I was an avid reader, encouraged to explore anything and everything by my grandmother. As result, she would often get me books for my birthday or for Christmas and Tiger Tiger was one of them. It was one of my favourites. I loved the look as much as I loved the story. The warm and vibrant colours were reminiscent of Roman oil paintings, and I read it so much that soon the pages became as cracked and battered as the imitation painting on the cover. After losing my original copy, I now have one of the ‘essential modern classics’ versions that is much more modern and in keeping with the posters used for the film, Two Brothers (2004), which follows the same premise.
The plot itself is quite simple, as expected for an early YA book. Set in Rome at the height of sport in the Colosseum, two tiger cubs are poached from the jungles and shipped to the markets of Italy. One is bought by the emperor as a gift for his daughter and the other is taken by the operators of the Colosseum to become part of the sporting events. The story then switches between the two narratives as we get to see the two different lives of the tigers – one living a plush life of privilege and the other brutalised and broken as it fights for its life in the arena. However, whilst there is a focus on two types of animal cruelty – animal fighting and ownership of exotic pets –, there is also a heavy human element to the book that is somewhat unexpected.
There are three central characters that surround the two tigers, Boots and Brute, and it is these characters that keep this book comfortably amongst my all-time favourites. Aurelia is the emperor’s daughter, a spoiled child who is tired of the pampered life. She is naïve and somewhat ignorant, but she is kind-hearted and devoted to the wellbeing of her tiger. She doesn’t like the fact that it is declawed and is horrified at the showmanship of the Colosseum. Whilst she herself is a rather one-dimensional character, it is the way her struggles are shown through the eyes of her tiger and through her own narrative that makes her stand out. She is always gentle and cares for everyone and everything. Aurelia is an outcast in Rome culture and society, living with the conflict between her heart and her duty. Marcus is Aurelia’s cousin, a jealous and spiteful boy that for all intents and purposes is the antagonist to Boots’ story. He despises the tiger and loves the thrill and spectacle of the arena, however, he himself cannot stomach the gore. It is through his manipulation of Aurelia that Julius, the man in charge of Aurelia’s tiger, is sent to his death and the tigers, Boots and Brute, are eventually reunited. And finally, there is Julius. He is by far my favourite character in the book as his interactions with the tigers and the other characters always feel real. He brings the reality of life in ancient Rome for those born outwith the glamour, wealth, and privilege. He is entrusted with caring for the tiger and knows what will happen to him should he fail. It’s a contrast that makes Aurelia and Marcus’ prank to hide Boots so heart-breaking as they don’t realise the severity of the consequences, but Julius does. As he frantically searches for the tiger, he knows his life is forfeit, something which Aurelia and Marcus can’t even seem to comprehend when his fate is revealed.
As an exploration of animal cruelty both Boots and Brute highlight different elements of abuse which is why I would argue that Tiger Tiger is more for early YA readers rather than for kids. Boots exemplifies the difficulties in keeping an exotic pet, showing the precautions that need to be put in place to ‘domesticate’ the animal. It shows his innate instinct and nature being stripped away with his claws and as a result shows how disadvantaged he is when he is suddenly ripped from a life of luxury and comfort. Whereas in comparison, Brute lives a life of cruelty and is hardened by it. He is tortured and starved, left to live in the dark and in filth. It highlights the reality of animal fighting, something that, whilst the book stays true to the time period, can easily be translated into the modern day with regards to things like dog fights. His narrative is barbarous and rather visceral at times, making a few scenes in the book rather difficult to read for those who might be squeamish.
However, in the words of James Wood: ‘It is useful to watch good writers make mistakes.’
The pacing of the book is rather slow. The first half is forced to build up the story and raise the stakes that suddenly come into play during the second half. Getting to the prank and its eventual failure can be difficult as it almost feels like nothing is really happening as all we do is watch the characters develop during the events of their day to day. Similarly, switching between the voices of the humans and the tigers can sometimes be a bit jarring, even now some parts require a second reading to work out whose eyes we are seeing the world through.
The themes surrounding the two brothers, whilst handled well, contribute to the pacing a lot as a desire to tell two stories doesn’t always come together as well as it was envisioned. It can feel jumpy leading up to the story’s climax and until the two narratives do finally intersect you can feel yourself tied to one story rather than the other.
Nevertheless, I would say to stay with it, as even if I don’t find myself reading the book cover to cover all the time, I always come back for those final chapters no matter what mood I’m in.
James Wood, How Fiction Works, (London: Vintage, 2019), p. 32
