In this tragic and offbeat novella, Bolander combines two historical events – the Radium Girls scandal and the electrocution of Topsy the Elephant – to build a somehow disjointed but highly poetic new narrative. 

In a world where sign language communication with elephants is possible, US Radium has purchased a few to replace its litigious human employees; among them is Topsy, who however ends up sympathizing with the plight of Regan, the woman who’s training her, until things spiral out of control.

The book follows three different threads: the semi-mythical collective narration of the elephants; Regan’s own direct experience; and the additional point of view of a scientist who, several decades later, tries to persuade the elephants to serve as long-time nuclear waste warning messages.

The plot is a bit precarious, occasionally relying on points that are outlandish even for the standards of speculative fiction – exploiting sentient elephants to paint the small, tiny components of radium dials, of all things? I understand elephants are more resistant to radiations, but the logistics are so puzzling I had to read it over and over to make sure I hadn’t got it wrong.

It’s a lot of poignant ideas – from the exploitation of labour to animal rights to nuclear semiotics – all crammed together in a way in which they don’t necessarily reinforce each other.

Nevertheless, the book is still worth reading for its emotional and ideal urgency; in its bizarre way it, it calls us to empathise with all the oppressed of the world, while calling out the cynicism of the establishment. Its narration may seem contrived if taken literally, but it sort of works on a symbolic level.

Bolander’s lyrical and evocative writing only enhances the impression we should read in a wilder and less direct way.

It’s not for everyone (I’m still not sure whether it was for me, specifically), but it’s a interesting piece in its own way.