Animal's People

Published in 2007, Animal’s People by Indra Sinha was the 2008 winner of the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize and was shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize. Based in the fictional town of Khaufpur, which means “village of terror,” it centers around the 1984 Bhopal industrial disaster and its aftereffects on the survivors. Told from the point of view of a 19-year-old Khaufpuri boy who was disfigured “that night,” the novel focuses on the West’s dehumanization of the “other” and on the greed and callousness of Western capitalism. It contrasts the invincibility of wealthy, well-connected corporations with the powerlessness of those they oppress and questions whether injustices against the vulnerable can be righted. Animal’s loathing of hope—though he yearns to walk upright so he can win the heart of his love interest, Nisha, he is terrified of disappointment—reflects the hopelessness felt by the people as they fight the powerful company that continues to exploit them. Transcribed from tapes, the tone of Animal’s story is informal, honest, and sometimes brutal. This intimate first-person viewpoint ensures the reader sympathizes with the plight of Animal and, therefore, with the plight of his people.