The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale

I just finished reading The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore, the first novel written by Benjamin Hale, and I must say this book was one the most well written, thought provoking and entertaining novels I have read in a long time. The book’s protagonist, Bruno Littlemore, is a chimpanzee born in captivity at the Chicago Zoo. Linguistic researchers from the University of Chicago pick Bruno to be studied. The plot truly begins to take root when Bruno, who desperately desires to be human, falls in love with the assistant researcher, Lydia Littlemore. Bruno eventually learns to speak the English language, and dives into the human world. After a series of dramatic twists of love, cruelty, death, and even murder, Bruno finds himself at odds with his newfound identity. He sees life, as a human, to be filled with wonders like art, music, literature, theater and love, yet overshadowed by hate, ignorance and cruelty. The story questions the very definition of what it means to be human. I will warn readers that are easily offended or insular; this may not be the book for you. Readers may also want to have a dictionary on hand, as this book is filled with a challenging vocabulary. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore is an excellent novel, and I highly recommend the read.