The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers

What worked:

The best part of the book is the descriptive, lyrical narrative. The story isn’t written poetically but many parts of the narrative have rhythm and use expressive language. A verse repeated throughout the story is “God is the Sun. Clouds are her messengers. Rain is only rain.” The stars are “siblings to our Sun” and Johannes, the main character, says “my dreams had no interpreter.” The expressive writing is enhanced by colorful illustrations of forest scenes created by artists from around the world. A note at the end of the book shares that the illustrator adds pictures of Johannes to the nature scenes to connect them with the story.

The animals have a close comradery and they always work together to benefit others and keep them all safe. Three old Bison live in a pen and they act as Keepers of the Equilibrium to maintain balance between nature and all creatures living within the park. Johannes acts as their eyes as he uses his speed to monitor all activity. He’s aided by his Assistant Eyes which include his best friend Bertrand the seagull, a one-eyed squirrel named Sonja, Yolanda the pelican, and a chubby raccoon named Angus. These characters are perfect examples of loyal friends as they are selfless and will do anything to help others in need. All of the animals in the park are reliable, friendly creatures except for the ducks. Ducks are stupid.

The animals face different obstacles that present various levels of drama. Johannes is a free animal and he roams the park scouting for new developments that might affect the Equilibrium. He manages to avoid humans most of the time but a couple of his decisions make the Control-the-Animals people take notice. Johannes has an unusual love for art that gets him into sticky situations. He realizes the Bison are always confined to their pen so he’s compelled to find a way to set them free. This complicated problem will take time to figure out and the coordinated efforts of all the animals. The introduction of the goats to the plot adds revelations and more difficulties to the problem and develops a sense of urgency.

What didn’t work as well:

Johannes exaggerates a lot which muddles the rules underlying his world. Johanne can run fast but perhaps not as fast as light. The park is probably not ten thousand miles long and three thousand miles wide and I’m sure the bison haven’t lived for thousands of years. The common animals live in a realistic public park so the hyperbole is confusing and unnecessary.

The Final Verdict:

This story is a wonderful example of cooperation and allegiance between friends as they’re always looking out for the welfare of others. The flowery language may take getting used to but it’s actually a highlight of the book. Overall, this book should appeal to nature and animal lovers and I recommend you give it a shot.