What if animals ruled the world and humans were treated like livestock? That’s the premise of Khushboo Shah's 'The Mildly Chaotic World of Chi Kenny', a satirical dystopian novel that flips reality upside down.
Chi Kenny is an ordinary chicken living a peaceful life with his Ma-Hen and his pet 'homin' (human) family, Adam, Eve, and Apple. But everything changes when WAFFLE, a giant factory farm, seizes his land and takes his homins away. Determined to rescue them, Chi Kenny finds himself in the dark world of factory farming, exploitation, and injustice. With a team of unlikely allies, he takes on the system in a battle for freedom for his homins.
Chi Kenny is an unlikely hero. He is clumsy, innocent, and full of heart. He is easy to relate to as he stumbles through his journey. His evolution from a simple farm chicken to a symbol of rebellion is believable and inspiring.
The supporting cast is equally intriguing. The animals running the farm, cows, pigs, and zebras, are overworked and underpaid, just like humans in exploitative industries. There is even a worker union fighting for better conditions, adding another layer to the social critique. The story's narrator is a mysterious ghostly human, who watches events unfold with horror and fascination. Through his perspective, we get to see both the absurdity and the brutal reality of industrial farming. Both thought-provoking and unsettling, in the garb of a satire.
There were many secondary characters and I sometimes felt lost keeping a track of who was who. Surely they had their own parts to play in the bigger scheme of things but the whole exercise of memorising the names and trying to keep a track of them was a bit cumbersome.
Khushboo’s writing is crisp, witty, and engaging. The puns are delightful, and the satire is razor-sharp. The prose is impactful, with vivid descriptions that bring the dystopian world to life. The research behind the book is evident. The details of factory farming, animal behaviour, and industrial practices are well integrated into the narrative.
This book being a sharp commentary on factory farming, consumerism, and exploitation, forces readers to question the systems that are accepted as normal. What I identified was the the irony of it all and how powerfully it struck me. The animals have created a society just as cruel and indifferent as the one humans have built. No matter who is in charge, the powerless and voiceless are always exploited.
Despite the heavy theme, the book never feels preachy. The humour, puns, and wit keep the story entertaining. It makes you chuckle while making you uncomfortable. What a rare and clever balance!
The book also contains some graphic scenes that may be unsettling for some readers. I certainly had to put the book down, for a bit, every time I would consume something that unsettled me. However, these graphic scenes are necessary to drive home the harsh realities of the setting. Khushboo handles them with care and it only shows how much she cares for this cause.
While the book is well-paced, the ending feels a bit rushed. A slower wrap-up could have made the resolution more satisfying for me. But it still manages to leave you with that niggling thought of 'how guilty are you of perpetrating all of this?'
The Mildly Chaotic World of Chi Kenny is a must-read for lovers of satire and dystopian fiction. It is clever, entertaining, and deeply thought-provoking.
Highly recommended!
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