Review: The One and Only Ivan (One and Only Ivan #1) by Katherine Applegate

5 stars for The One and Only Ivan (One and Only Ivan book 1) by Katherine Applegate.

Welcome to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan. Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a run-down circus-themed mall and has been there for the past 27 years. When a baby elephant Ruby is added to the odd collection of animals housed there, Ivan decides that he needs to do something to give her a better life.

There is always a first, in this case, a first time reading a novel that is narrated by a non-human - a gorilla. I have never, for the life of me, thought I will read such a book. But I did and it turns out well. I do admit it feels weird initially to see the world through the eyes of a gorilla, and not just any gorilla, a talking gorilla and one with a talent for painting. And after a while, it becomes second nature. I feel as if I am Ivan, the mighty silverback, telling the story of his life, where he comes from, his original gorilla family, his life as a temporary human and how he comes to be living in the cage that he refuses to acknowledge as a cage but a domain. It is also through Ivan that we learn more about some of the other animals such as Stella the old elephant, Ruby the baby elephant and Bob the stray dog.

The One and Only Ivan is a beautiful and touching story. It makes me think about the treatment of animals by humans, those in the wild, in captivity and in domestic homes. Is the zoo the ultimate ideal place for animals, even if they are kept safe and well cared for? Is that even natural in the grand scheme of things? Reading this book raises many questions but unfortunately, no answers.

I didn't know this work of fiction is based on a true story until I read the author's note at the end of the book. Ivan is a real gorilla, not some imaginery ape. He. Is. Real. And as in the book, Ivan did spend twenty-seven years of his life alone in a cage housed at a circus-themed mall in Washington state. I find it hard to believe that this mighty silverback actually spent close to three decades without seeing another of his own kind. I have no words for the extent of such human cruelty inflicted on this largest living primate. I go in search of Ivan's videos the moment I finish reading the author's note. The ones that show him in Zoo Atlanta make me smile and feel happy for him. But those that show the big gorilla held captive behind the walls of his tiny cage make my heart ache. Well, at least, the walls are a thing of the past. All's well that ends well.


Publisher: Harper Collins USA
Publication date: 1 Jan 2012

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Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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