The Hartlepool Monkey by Sean Longley

The journey

Along the library shelf: L

Chosen because

The fate of the French monkey mascot shipwrecked off Hartlepool and hung as a spy is a regional cause celebre, related to all newcomers as some sort of dire warning not to mess with the insular and fiercely independent locals. This book may shed some light on the incident, and separate fact from myth.

The Review

This is an imaginative tale that creates a complex and bizarre back story for the unfortunate eponymous ape, told through the narrative of three characters coming into close contact with him.

First we hear from Dr Simon Legris on how he came to go to Africa and return to France with a monkey. This section is a bit Carry-on up the Jungle, and the booker prize jury was definitely unimpressed. The second section is related by a madame in revolutionary Paris and becomes more like Carry-on Don’t Lose Your Head; the jury were ready to pack in at this point. However perseverance paid off as the final narration from Warrens, the “one guinea brief”, is a class above. He has the thankless task of representing the simian spy at the trial and his dry delivery, self-deprecating wit, and subtle insults disguised as deference are a joy (think of Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder the Third).

The various threads of the story are neatly and unexpectedly brought together; the angle taken on the story is clever and lifts the book to an excellent climax. For separating myth from reality it is of no use at all, particularly when account is taken of Admiral Nelson’s cameo where he loses more than an eye. But as a read it is more than the regency romp it initially seems and certainly leaves you with food for thought and a new perspective on the old tale.

Read another?

Based on the final third of the book, the author’s first, I would give it a go.