My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell

One of those rare books which one never gets tired of reading again and again, this is a semi-fictionalised account by the famed naturalist Gerald Durrell of his childhood years in the island of Corfu (Greece). Gerald Durrell had a passion about animals (of all species, shapes, sizes and varying degrees of danger) since the age of six and this passion was inflamed when his family moved to the quaint Greek island of Corfu following his fathers death. The premise might not sound very appealing to many people at this point but is extremely difficult to explain the charms of this book in a short blog post.

This book could have easily fallen into one of those nature journal categories where the description of each animal and the behavioural observations are discussed which cannot interest people having no idea about biology. But then again, the 'family' comes to the rescue here. Gerald Durrells family is an assorted motley of characters comprising of Larry (Lawrence Durrell, the famous author) the aspiring author and the brains of the family whose highbrow friends are a constant source of consternation and irritation for the family, Leslie (the second eldest brother) who is passionate about hunting and guns, Margo the perennial fashion and diet obsessed girl whose conversations start and end with diets and fashions and finally his mother who struggles to maintain sanity in these motley collection of people (and animals). The presence of a further assortment of supporting characters (each unique in their own right) simply adds to the flavor of this wonderful concoction. To the credit of the writer, none of these characters are caricatures and are infused with humanity to make them real, living people. Although there is a fair chance that the animals might get lost in this crowd of people, the accounts of animals and their behaviors are skillfully interwoven in the narrative. Although it is impossible to describe this book in a short review, I would strongly encourage every one to read this (somewhat underrated) book as it one of those rare books that ensure you have a smile on your face throughout the experience.