Mister Monkey by Francine Prose

 

This novel uses as its base a children's musical written about a chimpanzee whose parents are killed by poachers and who is then adopted by the American family of the doctor studying his clan.  It is written in chapters telling the story of those who have some relationship with the play.  There is the author of the play along with various actors and actresses involved in it.  There is the story of the waiter who often gets free tickets from the author.  Another story is that of a kindergarten teacher who has an online date with an entitled man who takes her to the restaurant where the author is dining.  A grandfather takes his young grandson to the play and then worries about whether he liked it.  The costume designer is also writing a play and we hear about her life.  The teenager who plays the chimp is having mental issues and becomes an overbearing bully who tries to sexually interact with the actresses.

This is an interesting concept for a novel.  Each of the interacting stories tells about the life and hopes of a disparate set of people who have a touchpoint in the play.  Some are just starting in their acting career while others are coming to the end of theirs.  We see characters who are negotiating the shores of love and how they interact with those they desire.  Readers will be interested to see in each chapter how it relates to a children's play which no one would ever call great theatre.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.