Zoo City

Lauren Beukes
Zoo City Cover

Zoo City

damonws
2/8/2013
Email

Overall definitely worth reading. Great setting and mood--alternate dystopian world set in South Africa starring a hard-boiled recovering junkie with a mysterious self-inflicted tragedy in her past. And the mysteries about--why do people become pair-bonded with animals, why does this confer powers, what is the Undertow, how does post-apartheid South Africa deal with two new, distinct classes of people (animalled vs. normal), and most importantly--where is Songweza, one half of twin teen pop sensatoin iJusi.

My only complaint is that the plot-driving missing person mystery isn't all that compelling, from a whodunnit and how'd they do it perspective. But there are still some surprizing twists and turns that keep you engaged right to the end.