Draft:Animal Crackers

Animal Crackers by Hannah Tinti is a 2004 collection of eleven short stories which are strange, sometimes humorous and often dark, cruel, bizarre and unsettling. Each story includes odd interactions between human beings and animals in which the animal sometimes takes on human characteristics.

Story summaries

Animal Crackers

A zoo worker, cautiously washing down an elephant, thinks about the strange, grim stories his co-workers have told him about their lives. These tales unfold in a variety of unique settings, featuring numerous dramatic events. Some are lighthearted and humorous, while others are intense, dark, and chilling encounters with various animals.

Home Sweet Home

A man and a woman are found murdered in their home, the victims of a double homicide carried out by their female neighbour. She had discovered that her husband was having an affair with the other woman. The murderer's dog plays a role in the story, walking through pools of blood and leaving a trail of bloody paw prints behind.

Reasonable Terms

Three giraffes in a zoo demand -in a well written letter - better conditions and to strengthen their message they pretend to be dead. They demand more varied food, more space in their pen and more privacy. They lay down on the ground, play dead and cause a huge commotion. The zookeeper himself has a heart attack and ends up in hospital. He compares the behaviour of the giraffes to that of his wife and wonders how he would react if she pretended to be dead. The great public interest in the protest cools off after a while and the outcome is not what the giraffes expected.

Preservation

The daughter of a famous painter, is an artist herself. She is currently employed to restore background paintings in the Natural History Museums`s dioramas, where the stuffed animals are. During her time working she experiences strange things. Her father is dying and she lives with him during his final days. Before his death the father makes the macabre decision to donate his body to the museum, believing that in this way he can continue to be useful, as he puts it.

Slim´s Last Ride

One day a nine-year-old boy, who lives with his mother, receives a rabbit from his absent father. At first, he takes well care of the rabbit but after a while noticeable things begin to happen, which end with the rabbit losing a leg and getting thrown out of the window from the upper floor. “Up, up and away…” the boy shouts when he throws the rabbit.

Hit Man of the Year

A boy is raised by his grandmother, after his mother's death at his birth. He lives in the grandmother´s bakery and is a quiet child, who did not cry as a baby. He turns into a psychopathic killer who commits murder purely for pleasure. His employer assigns him various assassination missions and he is appointed hit man of the year. Over time, he makes numerous enemies and eventually realises that he is being followed.

Talk Turkey

Three boys at the age of fourteen run away far from home in a stolen car which they crash into a motel sign. Two of the fathers fly out to retrieve their sons after the car accident. The third boy however, is not picked up,instead one of the fathers hands him an envelope from his mother. He is then left to fend for himself.

How to Revitalize the Snake in Your Life

A young woman meets an odd artist, who brings his large pet snake to her home, asking her to take care of it since pets aren't allowed in his apartment. He warns her firmly to keep the cage locked and never let the snake out. But then the artist abruptly disappears and she disregards his warning.

Gallus Gallus

A man who owns a taffy store was spoiled as a child and never even learned how to tie his own shoe laces . His wife raises chickens and a rooster, which was formerly used in cockfighting, as a hobby and recreation. One day the rooster goes missing and she sets off to look for it. Strange events unfold before she witnesses the rooster´s cruel fate.

Bloodworks

A ten year old boy receives a neuropsychological diagnosis and is put on medication. Gradually his behaviour deteriorates, his doctor adds new diagnoses and puts him on new medication. His behaviour becomes more and more terrifying and both his parents and younger sister are exposed to his violent outbursts and cruelty.

Miss Waldron's Red Colobus

A twelve year old American girl is placed in a boarding school run by nuns. She escapes multiple times and at the ages of fourteen she runs away and ends up in a zoo. After two days, the detectives hired by her father to monitor and report what she was doing find her where she is living together with lemurs. Later she is sent to England to learn proper behaviour. She reconnects with a friend from boarding school who is currently living in London. Through her friend and her stepbrother she meets a big game hunter, and she eventually follows him to Africa.

The major themes

One major theme in the book is cruelty, particularly that which is inflicted by humans who have experienced trauma early in life. In these narratives, animals often serve as the primary victims, representing innocence, helplessness, and human dysfunction. The stories grow increasingly dark and brutal as you approach the end of the book. The tenth chapter is called Bloodworks and strongly illustrates this theme through the harrowing experience of a family with their ten year old son, Lucas, who is diagnosed with multiple disturbing neuropsychological disorders. He is prescribed various types of medicines, but these fail to control his erratic and frightening behaviour. As his mental state deteriorates, his violent outbursts escalate, posing threats to his family, also resulting in cruelty towards them. Both his parents and his little sister become victims of his violent outbursts and cruelty. It's a dark and unsettling story that concludes with a disturbing ending that involves the act of animal cruelty.

Another prominent theme of this book is the exaggerated behaviour of the human characters. The reader gains insight into their psyches, revealing traits that range from macabre, weak, jealous, cruel and vengeful, to their very opposites. Apart from the cruelty towards animals, there are also moments that highlight trust and affection between humans and animals. One example of this is in the first chapter called “Animal Crackers” when the zookeeper, after washing Marysue, the elephant, decides to test her. Curious as to whether the stories of elephants “going mad” are true, he pokes her in the ribs with the broom he has been using, causing her to groan in pain. Then when all the work is done and Marysue is back in her stall the zookeeper puts his head down on the floor, touches her knee to signal her to lift her food up and then she gently lowers her foot down above his head, allowing him to hear her steady breathing.

As readers immerse themselves in the book, they discover a recurring theme of unpredictability woven throughout many of the stories. Unforeseen twists and surprising conclusions build suspense, leaving readers with a lingering sense of mystery. These endings often feel unfinished, as though intentionally left open to interpretation, suggesting that each story might continue beyond the final words on the page. This open-ended storytelling style adds a level of intrigue, allowing each tale to resonate after it's read, giving readers a sense of being on a continuous journey where every narrative is part of something larger. In the same chapter described above, the reader encounters this scene when the elephant is standing with her leg over the zookeeper's head, and the reader is left unaware whether the elephant is going to crush his skull as revenge for hurting her –– or does one find in this animal the capacity for empathy, forgiveness and compassion?

Development history

Animal Crackers was the first book written by author Hannah Tinti. It was published in 2004. The book can be described as a result of her childhood interest in human darkness. Hannah Tinti grew up in Salem, Massachusetts, which is well known for its witch trials in 1692-93. In an interview in Washington Square review, the authour talks about how her first job was at a place called Salem Witch Dungeon, which featured torture devices used on witches. Hannah would dress up in rags and hide in the shadows, then jump out and scare people. She enjoyed that immensely. The mask she wore allowed this shy and quiet girl the opportunity to be someone else...someone powerful. When she grew up she learned to do this on a page. Hannah Tinti went on to write her first novel "The Good Thief" in 2008 and the novel "The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley", published in 2017 which was named the best book of the year by the Washington Post. She has taught creative writing in different universities in the USA.

Literary significance and reception

The Los Angeles Times praised Hannah Tinti's work, highlighting her remarkable range, inventiveness, and a deliciously deadpan sense of humor, noting her as a new short-story writer with a unique bite and sparkling freshness.

Awards and nominations

Runner-up for the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award. Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick for summer 2004. Finalist, Bookspan´s best New voice award. Book of the Month Club and Quality Paperback book Club selection. Borders Original Voices Selection. Amazo.com Breakout Book, Spring 2004 Best American mystery Stories 2003

External links

American Literary Reviewhttps://americanliteraryreview.com/.../an-interview-with…

HANNAH TINTIhttps://hannahtinti.com/.../anim…

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-28-bk-ciabattari28-story.html

https://www.washingtonsquarereview.com/interview-with-hannah-tinti