The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius
Summary (via the book jacket)
Sally Jones is not only a loyal friend, she's an extraordinary individual. In overalls or in a maharaja's turban, this gorilla moves among humans without speaking but understanding everything. She and the Chief are devoted comrades who operate a cargo boat. A job they are offered pays big bucks, but the deal ends badly, and the Chief is falsely convicted of murder.
For Sally Jones, this is the start of a harrowing quest for survival and to clear the Chief's name. Powerful forces are working against her, and they will do anything to protect their secrets.
My Opinion
I liked the story and the characters but I think this book would benefit from more editing. It was shelved in my library as a YA but I would put this on the very young side of YA reading level, maybe even Juvenile Fiction. Yet I don't know that younger readers would get through all 588 pages without setting it aside because so many pages go by without any activity, especially considering that we know from the very beginning that Sally Jones reunites with the Chief so the story takes a long time to catch up with what we've known since page 1.
Also, a random thing that I noticed...the title is "The Murderer's Ape" but Sally Jones is a gorilla and even when the villagers were chanting at her they were chanting 'get the murderer's gorilla!" Did the story change at some point along the way and the title should've also been changed to reflect it?
Audience questions aside, I really enjoyed the drawings and felt they added a nice touch and the book didn't feel as long as it was because the chapters were broken up into nice, digestible, sittings.
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