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A review by desterman
Mammoth by Chris Flynn
4.0
Mammoth is narrated by the fossilised remains of a 13,000-year-old extinct American Mammoth (Mammut Americanum), who is simply addressed throughout the story as Mammut. In early 2007, Mammut is awaiting the auction of his skeleton at a warehouse in New York. He finds himself in a room with several other creatures and their remains, specifically that of Tyrannosaurus bataar. As the night progresses, Mammut tells the story of his life walking the earth with ancient humans and other animals; his dramatic death; the exhumation of his bones; and his journey as a fossil over the last two hundred years.
The story has a totally unique and bizarre premise but is far from being gimmicky. It is structured through flashbacks of Mammut’s life/afterlife and the banter between the fossils in the present. The flashbacks provide a view into different historical periods and blend fact with fiction. Mammut’s journey as an exhibition piece with real life figures, Moses Williams and Georges Cuvier, offering a journey into Napoleonic France. Here Mammat can convey the racism that existed, not just between people, but within naturalism and natural history circles. Similarly, when Mammut is stolen by the fictional Irish rebel Caiomhe O’Neill and her brother, his journey with her to conflict ridden Ireland and then back to America works to bring attention to the silencing of women’s voices in history.
Narrative voice is used exceptionally effectively. Mammut, who was first exhumed in the early C19th has a formal, esoteric, and didactic speech that reflects the time he first learnt to speak English. This is off set by the contemporary American slang T-bar uses having been discovered in the 1990s and learnt English from a small group of young Americans. The seriousness of Mammut and his story is often complemented by the lightness and humour of the other creatures around him. Despite the novel not using speech marks and minimal punctuation, it is not difficult to ascertain who is speaking at any given time due to the strength of the characterisation and character voice.
Despite its highly imaginative premise, Mammoth has been incredibly well researched. The detail is often meticulous, but never dull. There is so much to offer about man’s relationship with nature; the purpose and ownership of history; the cyclical nature of history; racism and its legacy; and sustainability and conservation. However, the novel also offers hope that for all those who want to thoughtlessly squander the Earth and her natural resources, there are just as many who are willing to create positive change and save the planet. All of this is executed with real wit, humour, tenderness, and intelligence.
The story has a totally unique and bizarre premise but is far from being gimmicky. It is structured through flashbacks of Mammut’s life/afterlife and the banter between the fossils in the present. The flashbacks provide a view into different historical periods and blend fact with fiction. Mammut’s journey as an exhibition piece with real life figures, Moses Williams and Georges Cuvier, offering a journey into Napoleonic France. Here Mammat can convey the racism that existed, not just between people, but within naturalism and natural history circles. Similarly, when Mammut is stolen by the fictional Irish rebel Caiomhe O’Neill and her brother, his journey with her to conflict ridden Ireland and then back to America works to bring attention to the silencing of women’s voices in history.
Narrative voice is used exceptionally effectively. Mammut, who was first exhumed in the early C19th has a formal, esoteric, and didactic speech that reflects the time he first learnt to speak English. This is off set by the contemporary American slang T-bar uses having been discovered in the 1990s and learnt English from a small group of young Americans. The seriousness of Mammut and his story is often complemented by the lightness and humour of the other creatures around him. Despite the novel not using speech marks and minimal punctuation, it is not difficult to ascertain who is speaking at any given time due to the strength of the characterisation and character voice.
Despite its highly imaginative premise, Mammoth has been incredibly well researched. The detail is often meticulous, but never dull. There is so much to offer about man’s relationship with nature; the purpose and ownership of history; the cyclical nature of history; racism and its legacy; and sustainability and conservation. However, the novel also offers hope that for all those who want to thoughtlessly squander the Earth and her natural resources, there are just as many who are willing to create positive change and save the planet. All of this is executed with real wit, humour, tenderness, and intelligence.