Unlikely Animals

“It was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best.”

Describing how Clive lost his job at the university after hallucinating about cats in his classroom, the ghosts acknowledge both the humor and the pathos of the story. “Both funny and sad” also captures the genre of the narrative itself.

“Just this once, maybe, someone would cheat death, edge the Grim Reaper out by a nose.”

The possibility that Emma might miraculously save Clive is raised repeatedly in the book. Ultimately, it is not Clive but Crystal and Isabella who return from the dead.

“It is miraculous how the green-clad land has returned to its virgin state, and the folds of the blue hills inspire restful dreams. When you consider that men have been getting further away from nature for decades, wearing fine clothes and living in cities, it all seems a horrid mistake.”

On his way to interview Harold, the journalist contemplates the pristine natural beauty of the park, comparing it to the decay and corruption of the “civilized” world. In the “return,” the journalist omits that the lush greenery and space itself is man-made, thus blurring the line between the wild and the domestic.