The Human Zoo
"Highly recommended."
Sabina Murray's smart, idea-packed story grapples with corruption, identity, and loyalty, building to a searing climax.
Fascinating...Murray's sense of place is vigorously vivid...
In the Philippines of today, as Ting finds out, it is not external influences...but rather the systems of power within the country, driven chiefly by a dictatorial leader, that dehumanize citizens...
...a narrative of a woman's search for identity, a historical, cultural, and political tale of Filipino society and a tension-filled, action-packed story... an engaging, interesting, and informative novel...
...a portrayal of Manila ... unpredictable, candid, and, at times, heartbreaking.
Klein is a sharp, observant narrator...To a reader unfamiliar with Filipino history it feels both edifying and painfully familiar.
...sublimely transitions into a contemporary sociopolitical thriller enhanced with colonial legacy, cultural erasure, government corruption, and unreliable narrators – an exhilarating literary experience.
Immediately absorbing and atmospheric... Murray vaults the reader into a decadent world facing the stark reality of moral failure.