Zoo City is set in a gritty South Africa where people who have done bad things wake up with an animal that they’re psychically linked to and who gives them some small magical powers. Spoilery non-spoiler alert: if you’re the sort of person who needs everything to have a reason or explanation in a book like this, you’re going to be disappointed, because while the “rules” of Animals are laid out through the course of the book, the origins or bigger picture of the magic are never explained. In noir fashion, our protagonist is a former journalist who is now a scammer and recovering addict. Did I say gritty already?

FuzzyCo grade: A