The Rhino Keeper – Jillian Forsberg

Published By: History Through Fiction
Pages: 270
Released On: 22/10/2024

2022 – College student Andrea Clarkson uncovers a historical mystery while studying abroad in Holland. From hidden desk drawers come unusual historical documents featuring a rhinoceros. On a lichen-covered eighteenth-century grave, the same animal is carved. When an expanding river forces exhumation, what she finds buried there is life-changing. Andrea faces her nightmares to retrieve what a grave robber steals: valuable proof of a long-forgotten history.

1740 – Ship captain Douwemout van der Meer has something not seen in two hundred years: the only rhino in Europe, called Clara. Douwemout and Clara tour Europe, enthralling peasants and queens, hoping to change popular views that rhinos are man-eating beasts. Absolute wonder follows, but when a priest sees idol worship and becomes hell-bent on destroying her, Clara, Douwe, and the lives of her bonded caretakers are at risk.

As Douwe becomes protectively dedicated to adventuring with Clara, unexpected love finds him, and his heart starts to tear. Will he choose a life with a traveling wonder-beast forever, or can love exist in many forms for the rhino keeper? 

*****

Thanks to NetGalley and History Through Fiction for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I love historical novels, and especially historical novels with a bit of an edge, and that’s what this book had. It had everything I want from an historical novel but with some added surprises I hadn’t read before.

It is based on a true story, and it was a story I knew nothing about and so I definitely went down one or two Google black holes.

We explore the book via two time periods: the modern item, and the 1740s. Which was fascinating. Each period is given the same amount of time which means you get to invest in the individual stories as well as the combined. Normally in such a book, I like the older scenes more, and whilst that may have had the edge here, I genuinely think I liked both equally. Jillian had clearly put the same amount of care into both.

I normally make notes for my review as I’m reading it as I’ll never remember it all once I’m finished, but I struggled to do that here. Mainly because I couldn’t tear myself away from it, but also because I couldn’t quite explain just how beautiful this book is. It’s so tender and sympathetic and sensitive and just perfect.

We have our main character in the 1700s which is Douwemout van der Meer, and our main modern character is Andrea. Andrea is a wonderful character. She’s a bit timid and she’s gone through a rough time, but she’s so relatable and the passion she has for her field of story is commendable and inspiring. I loved her story. And Douwemout in the 1700s…it can be hard as a modern-day woman to attach to a 300-year-old male, but he’s as recognisable and relatable and fantastic as Andrea. He clearly has love for this rhino and for his friends and those in his care and I loved him, and am definitely going to do some more research into his real story.

And obviously we have Clara the rhino, who steals every scene. We see her through a range of ages and, whilst I don’t know anything about Jillian’s background, I think it’s quite obvious that she either has animal experience, or has done some incredible research because Clara is so life-like and is a star in herself.

Something I really enjoyed was the sense of the unknown. We’re so used to seeing rhinos that often that they don’t hold that special place in our heart, because they’re in every zoo and on the telly. We end up forgetting that at one point in time – not that long ago, relatively – no-one knew what a rhino looked like and so there was this amazing sense of wonder and it was great to revisit that.

I was definitely not expecting to cry at it. I won’t spoil it by saying why, but there are most definitely some really touching bits that brought upon tears.

I have read A LOT of historical novels. It’s one of my favourite genres. But I have never read anything like this. It’s so moving in its beauty and sometimes in its harshness, it’s just exquisite. I will definitely be shouting about this book for a very long time. I cannot say anything negative about it, other than I wish it was longer so I didn’t have to part from it so soon.