Amberville by Tim Davys

A stuffed animal may not have a heart or opposable thumbs, but in Amberville they do have crises of conscience, moral dilemmas and metaphysical questions.

In his or her first novel, “Amberville,” Tim Davys (a pseudonym) sets a stage of stuffed animals who have the same everyday concerns we all do. Eric Bear, the protagonist, lives the good life. He has a good job in Mollisan Town’s top advertising agency. He has a beautiful wife Jessica Rabbit and has left his life of gambling, organized crime and drugs behind.

That is until his old mob boss, Nicholas Dove, shows up one day with his gorilla goons in tow. Dove has heard his name is on Mollisan Town’s death list. Eric Bear will get his name off the list, or pay the price with his beloved rabbit’s life. The problem is, no one is sure if the death list even exists, much less who places names on it, or if anyone can take them off.

Here is where the decision to make stuffed animals the characters becomes evident. Questions about mortality, right and wrong and the meaning of life have been asked since the beginning of literature. Davys deftly addresses questions such as “what happens after we die.” Yet, he frames the question in a new light. Stuffed animals in this parallel reality do age, but don’t die of natural causes. Every so often, Mollisan Town’s chauffeurs pick up animals and that is it. Parents don’t give birth to “cubs,” they apply for adoption of animals who come from the factory.

Questions aside, Nicholas Dove is convinced his name is on the death list. Eric has no choice but to take one last job from his boss. His daunting task in mind, Eric reassembles his old gang: tough, dimwitted, but big-hearted Tom-Tom Crow, sadistic male prostitute Sam Gazelle and cunning, persuasive Snake Marek. The crew was Dove’s go-to gang for tough jobs 20 years ago, and all their particular skills will be needed to tackle this order.

The crew knows its time is limited. The chauffeurs’ stops are like clockwork. To save his darling bride, Eric and company must first find out if the death list is real, and if so, find out how to remove Dove’s name. Their quest takes them through the highs, lows, heights of power and depths of depravity of Mollisan Town.

Flush with flashbacks that tell the story of Eric Bear’s upbringing, Davys delves into the peculiar reality of this stuffed animal universe. One of a very rare set of twins, Eric and his brother Teddy are brought up by loving, influential parents. They attend church and take in the spiritual tutelage of the wise Archdeacon Penguin Odenrick. Both brothers take heed of his teachings, but they resonate more with Teddy. As they grow older, the brothers grow apart, with Teddy toeing the straight-and-narrow line and Eric sneaking away to work at a casino for Dove.

Davys takes an approach that is at times unique and at times familiar. The story sets a noir mood reminiscent of Raymond Chandler and Thomas Pynchon. Naturally the anthropomorphic animals bring to mind George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” But whereas Orwell used animals as a sharp satire of man’s hypocrisy, greed and lust for power, Davys uses his animals to frame questions we’ve all asked: what waits in the afterlife, what are the creator’s plans and who determines what is right and wrong?

Ultimately Eric Bear must confront all of these heavy queries. Davys’ direct prose and the sheer novelty of a stuffed animal world make “Amberville” intriguing without being a cheap novelty. The heavy metaphysical concerns don’t drag a reader down thanks to the sympathetic animals. Readers may see the use of stuffed animals as a gimmick, but it works in the author’s favor. While “Amberville” could have been another tired crime novel, it works as a dually intense drama and moving morality play.

Reviewed by Mike Krings

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