Elefant

The international bestseller about friendship, second chances, and a tiny glow-in-the-dark pink elephant

‘The most enjoyable novel I’ve read all year’ Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Portable Veblen

'I loved Elefant! It was a complete tonic' Seni Glaister, author of The Museum of Things Left Behind

‘It's easy to fall in love with this novel because it's easy to fall in love with its main character, a tiny, glowing, pink elephant.’ Homer Hickam, author of Carry Albert Home

What would you do if you woke up to see a living, breathing, tiny, glowing, pink elephant? If you’re anything like Schoch, who lives on the streets of Zürich and is decidedly down on his luck, you might well think it’s time to put away the bottle before your hallucinations get any stranger, and go back to sleep.

But what if the tiny pink elephant is still there when you wake up? And clearly needs someone to take care of it? And what if you discover that it’s been created through genetic engineering, by a group of scientists who just want to use it to get rich and don’t care about the elephant’s welfare? And that they’re in cahoots with a circus and will stop at nothing to get it back?

What if this little elephant is about to change your life?

Reviews

‘A very gripping story which tugs at your heartstrings’ Neue Deutsche Rundfunk, Hannover

‘The topic (genetic engineering) is serious, the pace swift, the plot excellently constructed.’
Tages-Anzeiger, Zürich

‘A quirky tale composed with tangible joy’ Landshuter Zeitung

‘Written in short chapters, like a thriller, and rich in flashbacks and jumps forward, Elefant is a gripping read’ Les Echos Weekend, France

‘A mind-blowing contemporary fable … endearing, bizarre, irresistible and exhilarating’ Page des Libraires, France

‘The novel is artfully structured, and the unexpected shifts in narrative perspective guarantee a gripping read. I found it absorbing from the very start. Not a single page is superfluous’ MDR, Leipzig

About the author

Martin Suter, born in Zürich in 1948, is a writer, columnist and screenwriter. He worked as a creative director in advertising before deciding to focus exclusively on writing. His novels have enjoyed huge international success. Martin Suter lives with his family in Zürich.