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A phenomenal entry into historical fiction. Gabon, 1892: American primatologist Richard Garner constructs a cage deep in West Africa's rainforest to learn the language of chimpanzees—a study he believes will prove Darwin's theory of evolution.
His cage protects him from gorillas and leopards, but fails to shield him from his enemies in the French colony and the press. Stymied by dogmatic priests and lacking a phonograph to record the chimpanzees' speech, he doggedly pursues his study. Populated by bureaucrats, hunters, missionaries, and the indigenous peoples whose lands and lives they have intruded upon, Man in a Cage evokes life on the ground during the Scramble for Africa. |
Available from Malarkey Books in paperback and ebook.
Also available from Bookshop, Amazon, and other online retailers.
Also available from Bookshop, Amazon, and other online retailers.
Read reviews in Historical Novel Review, Heavy Feather Review, and Roi Faineant.
Watch an interview on Wednesday Night Sessions.
Watch an interview on Wednesday Night Sessions.
In Man in a Cage, Patrick Nevins fictionalizes the life of American primatologist Richard Garner, whose desire to understand chimpanzee speech sends him on a quest fueled by ego, pride, and the need for validation. Inside a rough-hewn cage of his own making, he studies the animals and dreams of contributing to the scientific record. But with financial support dwindling and no phonograph to record the chimps, will anyone believe in his work? This novel is a fascinating exploration of power, ethics, and what it means to colonize—and be colonized. As his guide in the Gabon jungle tells him: “No white man takes nothing.”
— Sarah Layden, author of Trip Through Your Wires and The Story I Tell Myself About Myself
Nevins conjures a world of colonizers, profiteers, and missionaries—and the harm they've inflicted upon every living thing on this planet—proving the old adage history doesn't repeat itself, but it does indeed rhyme.
—Jeff Chon, author of Hashtag Good Guy with a Gun
With meticulous attention to period detail, Man in a Cage provides an honest depiction of the racism inherent in the not too distant past, and sheds a cautionary light on the same issues, so unfortunately entrenched in our deeply flawed present. This is a sobering and important read.
—Alice Kaltman, author of Dawg Towne