STRANGE BEASTS OF CHINA

In the fictional city of Yong'an, China, beasts live among, and are barely distinguishable from, people. A newspaper columnist has a passion to understand the beasts, so she sets out to write a story about each one. Zeller creates a persona for the columnist that is reminiscent of an old movie featuring a hard-drinking writer living in a shady part of town. Each story begins with a description of a type of beast, which Zeller delivers as a straight cataloguing of its characteristics. This is followed by a description of personal interactions with that type of beast, which affords Zeller an opportunity to show a range of emotions. Zeller deftly portrays the motley collection of characters who offer stories and advice to the columnist. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]