My Husband and Other Animals

Janaki Lenin

Westland, 296 pages, R250

Animal enthusiast Janaki Lenin gives us a peek into the zany and unpredictable world that she and her partner Romulus Whitaker—herpetologist and wildlife conservationist—have built together in southern India. They battle tree frogs that insist on colonising their house, travel in the wilds pursuing venomous snakes and monster crocodiles, befriend Gila monsters, play with porcupines, and tame opinionated shrews. Entertaining, playful and amusing, these essays provide flashes of insight into the disposition of animals.