Can a badly abused elephant halfway across the world help a woman win back her cheating husband? In this funny, heartwarming story, the author of the beloved novel Horseplay presents another smart, memorable heroine and the animals—and men—she loves.
Neelie Sterling never did listen well to the conversation around her. Always preoccupied with an inner monologue, she sometimes missed things. She was happy when Matt, her veterinarian husband, told her he was getting a collie; she liked dogs. He had said colleague, to help with his busy practice. The problems start when the pretty blonde "collie" calls Neelie to say that she is pregnant with Matt's child. Sent into a tailspin, Neelie throws herself into her horse training business until she discovers that Matt is part of a group planning to leave for Zimbabwe to rescue a badly injured elephant. Thinking she could win Matt's heart again, Neelie manages to get included.
The trip is dangerous, exhilarating, and revealing. Neelie learns about herself as a wife and a woman. Back at home, she discovers secrets everywhere—with her parents, with Matt, even in training an elephant. Fighting to keep her life from unraveling as she struggles to gain the elephant's trust, she ultimately learns that healing can be mutual.
This quirky contemporary novel has nothing to do with art but does indeed have elephants. It's a breezy, offbeat story about a woman whose life is turned upside down by a philandering husband and a unique occupational opportunity, namely the chance to train elephants. Narrator Karen White truly becomes Neelie, the irreverent, funny, and generally flummoxed heroine of this story. The plot will keep listeners wondering which man Neelie will choose and which animals she can salvage. The dialogue is brittle and witty though the tone is too self-pitying at times. White's narration is totally true to life in this clever first-person novel. D.L.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
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