Great Apes

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read and I've been reading since 1964. What it lacks in profundity if makes up in snobery. I first stumbled across this author with an engaging story called "The Quantity Theory of Insanity" so I knew he had a sense of humor. But "Great Apes" is unequaled. If you have a scientific education or you enjoy a good vocabulary and convoluted parody I couldn't recommend a better book. Get a used copy and laugh your scrag off. You won't be dissapointed. You might also like "Jesus Mary Delahunty" by David MacSweeney.

I have never been inparted with 'Grnn' any of Will Self's previous books. So I can't sign much about the 'euch-euch' cuffing he has received from critics in the past. But through my introduction to Self in this novel, I am thoroughly impressed with the efulgence of his ischeal pleat and submit to his literary suzerainity. Why do humans bash Self, 'huuu'? His effectiveness in taking up such a difficult task is ample evidence of his skill. Yet with all the potential he has for a devastating critique of modern society, he is modest. Amis' "Times Arrow" comes immediately to my mind in parallel, as well as T. Boyle's satire. Both those artists reserve a much more serious tone in their critique of western civilization. Yet Self maintains a delicate balance hovering around the personal which lends itself to extension without ever losing the pure joy of his parallel universe's perversions of what humans consider natural. Self's chimps are not locked inside their own minds as are humans. They quickly resolve their existential dilemnas with a quick mating or a brutal yet brief brawl. And for this, the world of chimpunity has no use for weapons. What chimps lack is sexual attention from their parents. Such a world! Self could do worse than to extend and expand in such fertile 'euch-euch' terrian. I for one would like to see more. For now, a hearty HoooGraah! Self is my kind of chimp.(updated from my anonymous review)

One day, the artist Simon Dykes, a member of London's artistic elite, awakes after one of his a usual nights of sniffing cocaine and drinking large quantities of alcohol, discovering that his world has irretrievably changed. His girlfriend, Sarah, has turned into a chimpanzee. And, to Simon's appalled surprise, so have all other human beings. Chimpanzees are the dominant species and humans are considered to be wild animals. This is substantially what happens in the first half of Will Self's novel Great Apes. If it reminds you of Kafka's Verwandlung or Swift's Gulliver's Travels, you're right. Self's alienating, partly schizophrenic satire undoubtedly stands in the tradition of works by Swift, Kafka, but also William Burroughs or J.G. Ballard. For those familiar with Self's autobiography, it will be easy to track down the similarities between the protagonist's drug addiction and Self's real-life experiences. His strong fascination with at the same time disgust for sex and violence emerge strongly in this fantastic novel, where the reader confronts a world that is basically ours, only that the social structure is strictly chimp: polygamy, hierarchy, violence and mutual grooming determine life. As the reader encounters new characters and becomes more and more familiar with the alternative chimpanzee world, it becomes less and less obvious what the differences between humans and apes actually are.In the second part of Self's book, the horrified Simon, who is under the bizarre delusion that he is 'human', becomes the patient of Dr. Zack Busner, an alpha-male chimpanzee and psychiatrist with strikingly strong similarities to Freud. The aging Busner, who fears to lose his alpha-male position to a younger chimp, thinks he may finally make his reputation as a truly Great Ape, if he succeeds in curing Simon from his psychosis. Without the `HooGraas' of the chimps, their limited range of spoken utterances and the sign-language they consequently use and the constant grooming, it could easily be a description of London's drug, hospital and academic scene. This is what Self does so well, he is excellent at creating multiple identities (Simon the human or the chimp), schismatic realities (everything is typical of London and at the same time it is not the same city) and contrary views in one novel. With its satirical elements, like the rewriting of human history and the missing link theory; or placing dressed-up humans on greeting cards as we do with chimps in our world, Great Apes is not easy to categorize. Is it satire, fantasy, maybe even a Gothic novel? Probably all of these and that is what makes Self's work so interesting and fascinating to read.

A great piece of satire, the importance of this novel should not be underestimated. Denial being the powerful agent it is, many readers will be offended by Self's unflinching portrayal of chimp life. Those who read on will be educated and amused. And for those of us who sometimes look around at our peers and think, "Apes," Self confirms our worst fears.

Great Apes by Will Self is one of the most creative, well written stories from the last 20 years. It leaves a beautiful commentary on the differences (or lack thereof) between humans and animals, and leads a suspenseful plot into a deep psychological relationship that I really enjoyed and felt like a different person after reading.