A Voice for Independent Authors

REVIEWING TODAY: SOUL OF THE ELEPHANT BY PAM LAUGHLIN

Rather like the man-eating tiger (perhaps a man-tiger) who insidiously patrols the opening chapters of Pam Laughlin’s novel, Soul of the Elephant, this book excels at sneaking up on its reader, solely intent on devouring him whole. Which, piece by piece, chapter by chapter, increasingly ravenous, it does. And, not to be too grisly here, this is a very meaty book, especially for the young adult. Within an intensely engaging, dramatic, compelling narrative, choreographed meticulously well by Ms. Laughlin, many delicious morsels are provided for meditative savoring. Like: the formidability of the natural world, how humans relate to their parental world (and each other, and their animal brothers), and, wondrously, how our relationship to spirit flavors each of these interactions.

Set in the jungles of India at the turn of the previous century, Soul of the Elephant by Pam Laughlin is, at its core, all about the title. Hemit is the young hero destined and defined to become a mahout (elephant trainer and minder), whose unorthodox beliefs requiring compassion and kindness towards these massive, big-hearted beasts sets him at confrontational odds with the other mahouts, especially his own father. Once the issue of the tiger has been dramatically resolved, Hemit meets a spiritual fellow-thinker who becomes his mentor, a man mostly shunned by the community, who teaches him how to become an elephant whisperer. Excuse me ... an elephant “husher”. Hemit is a natural, and his journey on the arduous path toward eventual manhood and deeper intimacy with elephant souls develops into a well-told, truly captivating story.

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Joel R. Dennstedt – Top Reviewer for Readers’ Favorite

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