Ape House

Book #51 Read in 2012
Ape House by Sara Gruen


I recently read Water for Elephants (I know, I know, finally!) by this author and loved her writing style.  I immediately requested Ape House from the library and was not disappointed.  I loved this book as well.


In Ape House, Isabel works with bonobos and has taught them to communicate using Sign Language.  There is a fire in the ape location and Isabel is injured in it.  By the time she is on the road to recovery, the bonobos have been moved and are now used in a reality show produced by a porn producer.  He is hoping to score huge ratings by capitalizing on 24 hour visuals on the bonobos.  Isabel is bound and determined to reunite with her "family" and enlists the help of John Thigpen, a reporter who missed the fire by a matter of hours after interviewing Isabel and the bonobos.  They unite forces, along with some others, to get the bonobos out of the "ape house".


This book has it all--great writing, great characters (including the bonobos, who have very distinct personalities, twists and turns, romance and even some humor.  I was rooting for the bad guys to get theirs and for the bonobos to have a happy ending.  Now I have to decide which book by Gruen to read next.