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The Tusk That Did the Damage

A novel from the Vintage Earth collection
By Tania James
Series: Vintage Earth
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James explores the intricate lives of three different characters: a poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and an elephant known as the Gravedigger. Set in the lush landscape of Kerala, India, the story weaves their fates together as each grapples with the complex relationships between humans and wildlife, leading to unforeseen and impactful consequences. James crafts an evocative narrative that questions the moral dilemmas in conservation and the bonds shared with nature.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2400
Elsewhere:
$2600
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by stories that intertwine human and animal lives set against the vibrant backdrop of India. The narrative weaves together the perspectives of a poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and a vengeful elephant, offering an emotionally charged exploration of themes like loss, responsibility, and the complex relationships between wildlife and humans. This gripping tale is perfect for those who appreciate multi-layered storytelling with a poignant environmental and ethical focus.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

VINTAGE EARTH - Change the story. Novels to transform our relationship with the natural world.

The Tusk That Did the Damage begins with a young elephant, brutally orphaned by poachers, who starts terrorising the countryside. He earns his malevolent name, the Gravedigger, from the humans he kills and then tenderly buries with leaves.

Manu, the studious son of a rice farmer, loses his cousin to the Gravedigger and is drawn into the alluring world of ivory hunting.

Emma is working on a documentary set in a Kerala wildlife park with her best friend. Her work leads her to witness the porous boundary between conservation and corruption, until eventually she finds herself caught up in her own betrayal.

'One of the most unusual and affecting books... a compulsively readable, devastating novel' - Jonathan Safran Foer

Tania James's spellbinding new novel Loot is available for pre-order now!

VINTAGE EARTH is a collection of novels to transform our relationship with the natural world. Each one is a work of creative activism, a blast of fresh air, a seed from which change can grow. The books in this series reconnect us to the planet we inhabit—and must protect. Discover great writing on the most urgent story of our times.

Series: Vintage Earth

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  • The Tusk That Did the Damage
    VINTAGE EARTH - Change the story. Novels to transform our relationship with the natural world. The Tusk That Did the Damage begins with a young elephant, brutally orphaned by poachers, who starts terrorising the countryside. He earns his malevolent name, the Gravedigger, from the humans he kills and then tenderly buries with leaves. Manu, the studious son of a rice...
    By Tania James
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    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Solar
    VINTAGE EARTH - Change the story. Novels to transform our relationship with the natural world. Beard sank into a gloom of inattention, not because the planet was in peril - that moronic word again - but because someone was telling him it was with such enthusiasm. Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist whose best work is behind him. He...
    By Ian McEwan
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  • The Overstory
    Vintage Earth: Change the story. Novels to transform our relationship with the natural world. The Overstory is not set in our world with trees in it; it's a world of trees, where humans have just arrived. This is the story of a group of strangers, each summoned in different ways by the natural world, brought together to save it from...
    By Richard Powers
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James is widely praised as a distinctive and powerful novel, with reviewers highlighting its compelling narrative and unique perspective. The book skillfully blends myth with modern realities, focusing on both human and animal viewpoints, which is noted for its sharp and captivating storytelling. Critics commend James for her assured and empathetic writing style, making the novel a must-read according to publications like The Guardian and The New York Times.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784877934

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 July 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 195g

Pages: 240

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Series: Vintage Earth Tania James

About the Author

Tania James's debut novel Atlas of Unknowns was a New York Times Editor's Choice and was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian literature. She has also written the short story collection Aerogrammes, and her stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Freeman's- The Future of New Writing, One Story and A Public Space. The Tusk That Did the Damage was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. From 2011 to 2012, Tania James was a Fulbright fellow to India living in New Delhi. She now lives in Washington DC.

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