March Book Club: Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips
“The zoo is nearly empty as Joan and her four-year-old son soak up the last few moments of playtime. They are happy, and the day has been close to perfect. But what Joan sees as she hustles her son toward the exit gate minutes before closing time sends her sprinting back into the zoo, her child in her arms. And for the next three hours—the entire scope of the novel—she keeps on running. Joan’s intimate knowledge of her son and of the zoo itself—the hidden pathways and under-renovation exhibits, the best spots on the carousel and overstocked snack machines—is all that keeps them a step ahead of danger.” --Goodreads
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips is one of my favorite reads of 2018 so far. In the emerging genre of “active shooter fiction,” it stands out do to its raw and honest portrayal of violence and human instinct. What I appreciated most from this book was the pace. Many people imagine active shooter situations as a time of constant intensity. Many survivors of such events discuss the “hurry up, then wait” pattern--run for your life, hide, wait for the police, run, then hide again. This pattern was presented amazingly in Fierce Kingdom.
This story reminded me so much of The Most Dangerous Game, only modernized. Instead of a whacky Russian millionaire hunting a man across a Caribbean island, its two teenagers opening fire on people at a zoo. For a majority of the book, the main character Joan and her son Lincoln are hiding in various places throughout the zoo. Something that stood out to me was the inclusion of very small details, which I felt represented the hypersensitivity one experiences when panic sets in. Joan’s inner monologue focuses on the slightest noise, and her anxiety in contagious, especially when she struggles to keep Lincoln quiet.
Another great quality was the dream-like vibe of the story. Phillips did an amazing job of presenting the inability to process such chaotic and life-threatening situations. Joan is frighteningly aware that she not only has no control over the situation, but also no control over her small child, and small things that could give away their location (especially her cell phone).
The shooters Robby, Mark, and Destin are very interesting and well written characters. Robby is the only one who we experience up close, as Mark is overly energized and constantly moving throughout the zoo, and Destin is never seen, portrayed as some kind of omniscient, inhuman threat that looms over the zoo. These characters were presented in a way that reminded me so much of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters. They go about this heinous act as if they are playing a game, and the conversations between the two of them are chillingly casual. The book does occasionally change perspectives, and one of these perspectives is Robby. The most “human” out of the three shooters, the reader can easily get lost in his train of those and forget that he is committing this horrid crime. I think they proves the skill and effectiveness of Phillips’ writing, as she creates a character so well developed that we can see him as more than a shooter.
I believe the best part of Fierce Kingdom is the overarching theme of maternal instinct. As the story develops, we can see Joan becoming more in-tuned with her instincts. There is an incredible moment were we see Joan switch from flight to fight:
“There is a power inside her, watching.
She can see the phone screen shining in the distance, through the diamond shapes of the chain link, a bright dot. Her aim was decent, although not perfect. But it is lying face up--that is what she hoped for--a few feet from the bamboo thicket. The glow from the screen lights up a small patch of smooth wooden poles and still trembling leaves.
. . .
She watches one of them raise her phone to his face. He is clean-shaven and light-haired, and he is white, just as she thought. His face is thin and unimpressive, and she wonders whether he is the thin-voiced one, whether is face somehow matches his sound.
She is not done yet.” -Fierce Kingdom, page 110
You know how if you are scared, hurt, or feel betrayed, there is a moment when your fear, pain, or sadness suddenly becomes burning hot rage? This is that moment for Joan, and it is badass. I immediately got a lurking lioness vibe. This is where I found the zoo to be a perfect setting for this book, as there are all of these ferocious animals in the background of an intense story of maternal instincts.
Fierce Kingdom also poses a very difficult question: how do we balance our survival instincts with our compassion and morality. Throughout the story, Joan and Lincoln meet other people in the zoo, trying desperately to survive. Many times, Joan finds herself forced to make a decision between helping someone or getting herself and Lincoln to safety as quickly as possible. I thought this was a great analysis of what makes us human, and how our human sensitivities are applied in dangerous situations.
I do have one pet peeve with this book, however: an open ending. I NEED ANSWERS. Open endings stress me out beyond belief, but I can almost appreciate how Phillips used it. Joan is wounded at the end of the book. Whether or not she survived is open to interpretation, but I think your immediate assumption says a lot about your personality and what makes you human.
