![]() ![]() She’s enchanted with the animal but isn’t allowed to care for her until Violet’s caretaker enlists. Into this emotional vacuum swings Violet, a young elephant Hettie first sees hoisted from the hold of a ship. Hettie’s part-time job at the zoo pays little, and life during wartime is hard. Hettie’s beloved sister, Anna, recently died in childbirth, and their mother wants nothing to do with Anna’s Catholic widower or their child. Her father abandoned his family for another woman, leaving her mother distraught and depressed. ![]() Ambitious zoo assistant Hettie Quin is young, but she has already suffered too much tragedy. The concept sounds whimsical, but this is not a light or frivolous novel. Walsh’s novel is inspired by the true story of Denise Austin, a Northern Irish zookeeper who hid an elephant in her house during the 1941 bombing of Belfast by German Luftwaffe forces. A determined zookeeper in Northern Ireland protects a young elephant during World War II. ![]()
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