My cousin made me read this.
Now I realise that most of you don't know my cousin, but you may safely place your trust in my veracity when I say that it's often that she likes a book, but rare that she presses one on me. Jamrach's Menagerie was one such that she was positively eager to have me read. And being the intrepid, resourceful reader that I am, I tracked down an advanced reading copy to read via a swapping site. (My cousin, it should be noted, lives in a country where the book is already in print; I don't think she knew at the time she was urging me to read it that it wouldn't be available in the US until June 2011, but there you have it. I should also note that this was not given to me by the publisher, but I feel that to not review the book would be remiss, as I don't know that it was reviewed by the giver. But enough of that, and on to the book itself!)

Jamrach's Menagerie is, essentially, a boy's adventure story with the brutal realities of late 19th century seafaring. And it is more than that, as it delves into the essence of the survival of humanity struggling under impossible conditions, guilt, friendship and loss. The ARC jacket states a comparison to Dickens, Melville and Barrett; I'd add Stevenson in to the mix - his humour in describing people and their surroundings is closer to the voice of the narrator of the story. The story begins with Jaffy Brown, an urchin of dubious paternal parentage, who lives with his mother first in Bermondsey, then they move further in to Ratcliffe Highway, and the 8 year old Jaffy's life is touched by the hand of fate when he meets a tiger in the street, and strokes it's nose. Afterwards, he goes to work for Mr Jamrach, an importer of exotic animals, discovering a talent for handling animals and befriending (and becoming rivals with) Tim Linver, another boy handling Mr Jamrach's animals. Jaffy also befriends Tim's twin sister, Ishbel, competing for her interest and affections with her jealous twin. Before long, Tim is called to an adventure on the seas, hunting a dragon (which may or may not exist) for a wealthy client, and Jaffy, wanting in on both adventure and glory, begs to go with them. Under the eye of Dan Rymer, a procurer of animals working with Mr Jamrach, they set out on a whaling vessel for the far east, learning to crew and to whale as they head to the islands where the dragons are rumoured to live. The resulting pursuit and journey prove to be life-changing in every respect.

The opening description of life in Bermondsey is fascinating -mudlarking on the banks of the Thames for pennies, the rush of the river beneath their lodgings, the gut wrenching hunger and the pervasive reek of excrement all make for a very vivid world view, which is carried throughout the novel. Unlike Dickens, there is no social message coupled with overt sentimentality/pathos to the descriptions; Carol Birch's agenda is Jaffy's story. There are truly horrible things that occur, particularly in the second part of the book, and Birch does not flinch from describing them, but neither does she linger unnecessarily on them or hammer them home repeatedly - the images conjured are very much a part of the story and not gratuitous. There are threads of humour even in the worst moments, touches of madness, jealousy, bravery and sickening horror, but there is also love. The third part of the novel is recovery and redemption, Jaffy looking to find his way in the world after the adventure, and brings appropriate closure to this excellent novel.

I highly recommend Jamrach's Menagerie - It will put you through the wringer, but that is a hazard of a story well told.