In Yann Martel’s celebrated novel, the zoo represents a world of order and wonder before it is shattered by chaos. The protagonist, Pi Patel, grows up in his family’s zoo in Pondicherry, India, where he develops a profound understanding of animal psychology and behavior.
This knowledge becomes the bedrock of his survival when a shipwreck leaves him stranded in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a formidable Bengal tiger. Martel uses the foundational setting of the zoo to explore the complex, often blurred, boundaries between civilization and wilderness, faith and reason.
Inspired by a true story, this historical novel chronicles the incredible journey of two giraffes across America during the Great Depression, destined for the fledgling San Diego Zoo.
Narrated by a 105-year-old man looking back on his youth, the story follows him as he helps a crusty zookeeper transport the magnificent creatures from the East Coast. The zoo is not the primary setting but the destination—a symbol of hope and the future that drives the entire arduous adventure.
The novel is a moving tribute to the wonder of animals and the human effort required to create sanctuaries for them.
Set in a fictional Eastern European city descending into the chaos of civil war, this gripping novel follows Yuri, a dedicated zookeeper. As society crumbles around him, Yuri is faced with an impossible moral dilemma: how to protect his family and the animals in his care.
With food scarce and danger at every turn, the zoo transforms from a place of public enjoyment into a private battleground for survival. The novel is a stark and poignant examination of humanity’s responsibility to the natural world, even in the most inhumane of circumstances.
In this atmospheric historical novel set at the start of World War II, a museum’s priceless collection of mammals is evacuated to a remote country estate for safekeeping.
A young woman named Hetty is tasked with cataloging and protecting the collection of taxidermied animals, but she soon finds that both the creatures and the manor hold dark secrets.
While the animals are not alive, the novel powerfully explores themes of preservation, confinement, and hidden natures, using the eerie, lifelike exhibits to create a gothic tale of suspense and forbidden love.
In this high-concept thriller, zoos become ground zero for a global catastrophe. Ecologist Jackson Oz has long warned that animals are on the verge of turning against humanity, and his theories prove terrifyingly true as coordinated, violent attacks begin erupting worldwide.
From public zoos to remote wilderness areas, animals are no longer passive exhibits but organized aggressors. The novel transforms the familiar setting of a zoo into a place of terror, forcing humanity to confront the consequences of dominating the natural world.
While centered on a traveling circus rather than a stationary zoo, this novel masterfully captures the world of a Depression-era menagerie. After a personal tragedy, veterinary student Jacob Jankowski joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, where he is put in charge of the show's collection of animals.
The novel exposes both the glamour and the grim reality of life with captive performing animals, focusing on Jacob’s bond with an intelligent but abused elephant named Rosie. It’s a powerful story about animal welfare, cruelty, and the deep connections forged in the most unlikely of circumstances.
This surreal and brilliant novella reimagines the "creature feature" trope. A lonely suburban housewife named Dorothy finds her monotonous life upended when she helps hide a giant, escaped amphibian-man who calls himself Larry.
Having fled the research institute where he was held captive and experimented on, Larry becomes Dorothy's lover and confidant. The institute functions as a cruel, scientific version of a zoo, and the novel uses its fantastical premise to explore profound themes of confinement, companionship, and what it means to be truly wild.
Jeremy Fuchs’s novel offers a quirky yet contemplative look into the life of a failing zoo and its eccentric owner, Huxley. The narrative blends humor with melancholy, detailing the daily trials of caring for a motley collection of animals while struggling to keep the small operation afloat.
The zoo becomes a microcosm of life’s absurdities and fragile beauty. Through Huxley’s sincere devotion to his misfit creatures, the novel reflects on the purpose of keeping nature captive and the strange, intimate bonds that form between keepers and the kept.
In this suspenseful novel, a transcontinental train features a unique attraction: an onboard zoo filled with exotic animals destined for exhibition. What begins as a spectacle of wonder quickly devolves into a dangerous and claustrophobic nightmare when sinister events unfold.
The traveling zoo becomes a catalyst for chaos, as the confined setting of the train amplifies the tension between the human passengers and the captive predators. Carner uses this thrilling premise to explore how quickly human fascination with wild animals can turn into primal fear.
Onaiza Drabu’s novel weaves together folklore, family history, and the potent symbolism of animals in captivity. Set in Kashmir, the story centers on a local zoo that is far more than just a collection of cages; it is a vital repository of personal identity and community memory.
Through a series of interlocking stories—many of which are tied to a legendary and elusive beast said to inhabit the zoo—the novel explores how such places can come to symbolize shared dreams, nostalgia, and loss, reflecting the enduring power of animals in our cultural imagination.