A fine satire about the human world rendered as a flight of imagination in a world in which Covid 19 has wiped out all human beings and brought in the Age of Animals. Cross writes deftly and with an assured hand, subtly giving out lessons on the importance of conservation, while sardonically snarling from the sides of his mouth at the Corporate way of life
Angry Junglee Bosses had me hooked ever since I read the blurb of the book. Not only did the book promise a ride through the corporate culture but it had the added edge of presenting the same through an animal world. The book met my expectations perfectly as I could relate to everything that Fox went through in his corporate life, from first-day jitters to corporate backstabbing.
The book holds a lot of promise as the element of mystery that shrouds the office life of the animals is also very well planned out. There is a continuous thread of humour and sarcasm that binds the story together. There are maybe one or two pages where the description of the functioning of the office might bore you if you are not interested in it but the book more than makes up for it.
Cross has put in a lot of thought and work into the book as he chooses the animals for each job perfectly. From rhyming names with popular human performers to choosing animals for their popular skill sets, one can clearly see the meticulous planning and plotting put into the book.
While having such a character-driven line, you might fear a few plot holes however, I must assure you that the story flows quite smoothly. The author has managed to ensure that not a single thread from the story goes haywire which is a huge accomplishment according to me.
The corporate culture shown in the book is something that every employee reading the book would relate to. From giving their hundred per cent to the job to figuring out who to keep happy, this book can be their sympathetic ear. While reading the story I couldn’t help but yell Yes! That is exactly what happens, from time to time. The reality of the book, despite the imaginary world, will pull you in and bind you in a spell so that you won’t be able to put it down till the end.
The only problem that I encountered in the book were a few grammatical mistakes that I believe another round of editing can remove. But don’t let those stop you from picking up a copy of the book because once you start, you won’t be able to stop.
There are a few lines and phrases that especially stood out to me:
The idea of setting up a momo stand: Yes! That is something that is quite popular right now and which corporate slave hasn’t wondered the same while having street food? I wonder if I would be happier and better off owning a street stall rather than working a nine-to-five Lol
“…What no one understands is that creativity rarely comes on the spot, it takes time to produce creative work…”
“Take them with a pinch of salt boss, they’re very good animals. They’ve been under a lot of pressure lately and it has all been Hippopotamus’ doing. A lot of animals will dance on his grave when he dies.”
Sadly… I can’t share the line I loved the best because of the fear of giving away the spoiler but I can guarantee you that when you read it, you would know that it is going to be everyone’s favourite part. So don’t wait anymore and get your copy of this book as soon as possible.
I was given a review copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.