Praise & REviews

“Although it has much insight and nuance to add to the [ivory] discourse, James’s inventive new novel has a far broader vision, one that will likely outlast this iteration of the ivory conversation. With remarkable brevity, The Tusk That Did the Damage delves into India’s mythic, troubled history with elephants — a strange marriage of reverence and violence — and asks readers to imagine the incomprehensible, to experience the world, for a few moments, through the eyes of a killer elephant called the Gravedigger.”
–Los Angeles Review of Books READ THE FULL REVIEW

“The Tusk That Did the Damage is a bighearted, morally complex novel… James skillfully blends the suspense of a thriller and the erotic tensions of two romantic triangles with mythical, mournful flashbacks to Gravedigger’s life and ancestry. All this is leavened by her witty portrayals of the zealous, cagey, overbearing park official, Madame Samina Hakim, and the uncle, called Synthetic Achan because he rails against Coca-Cola and other artificial foods. Tusk nimbly divulges virtues and vulnerabilities so readers come to empathize with everyone, especially with Gravedigger, the very soul of the novel.”
–San Francisco Chronicle READ THE FULL REVIEW

“This gorgeously written novel is unlike anything I’ve ever read, and unlike anything you’ve ever read too—unless you can tell me honestly you’ve read something with an elephant narrator. (There are a couple human ones too.) James’s debut—which is set against the backdrop of the shady ivory market and which delves into the perspectives of a poacher, a filmmaker, and the elephant, Gravedigger—is thought-provoking but never feels like heavy lifting.”
–Glamour Magazine

“Tania James’s impressive new novel, “The Tusk That Did the Damage,” brings a sharp and unnerving sensibility to bear on dismal and necessary events…When the stories of the Gravedigger, the poacher and the filmmaker inevitably converge, the novel veers toward a fatalistic irony, but in James’s assured and skillful treatment, the result is stark tragedy.”
–New York Times Book Review READ THE FULL REVIEW

“[A] narrative that’s heart-racingly paced, with each perspective taking a chapter in turn—three interwoven stories that converge with a devastating, compelling fatality…This is a story that moves between the humid intensity of southern India’s jungles, the cool assurance of the American’s editing studio, and the elephant’s primordial internal landscape with grace and humour, as light-footed as a poacher.”
–National Geographic Traveller

“The rural India described by these spiraling voices seems haunted, seeded with gods, ghosts and myth…As a novelist, James may be handicapped by the innate mysteriousness of these animal-gods, but, perhaps for this reason, her elephants loom larger than life.”
–Washington Post

“Original and multi-layered … captivating storylines and searing imagery. In clear, elegant prose, James captures the majestic beauty of elephants, the despair of impoverished villagers, and their bloody attempts at self-reliance…. delicious, lyrical writing: You won’t soon forget her description of the “magical organ” that is an elephant’s trunk, “like an arm exploding out from the middle of the face, packed with enough muscle to knock down a tree, enough control in its tiny, tapering finger to grip a lima bean.” James conveys a palpable, infectious empathy for an animal that fascinates us from afar, even as she probes the mindset of the disadvantaged people driven to hunt it.”
–Washington City Paper

“TUSK…will leave you breathless as you follow three narrators across the wild plains of India. A poacher, a documentary filmmaker, and an elephant called the Gravedigger all illuminate the complexities of the country and culture, and you’ll be stunned by the author’s portrayal of the magnificent, tusked animals central to the characters’ lives.”
–Time Out NYC

“Utterly enthralling…a story that is bound to leave marks, but the best ones always do.”
–Suvudu

“In The Tusk That Did the Damage, James grounds a moral investigation in fallible human (and animal) emotionality: her prose is simple and beautiful, and her characters, both human and pachyderm, are lovingly rendered. But mostly you’ll come away with a dreadfully heightened awareness of our careless destruction of the natural world.”    
–Bustle Magazine

“James has surpassed expectations with her newest novel…a poignant, beautifully written and thoughtful allegory that details the epic struggle between animals and humans for scarce resources and limited territory. “
–Leo Weekly, Carol Besse

“The Tusk that Did the Damage is spectacular, a pinwheeling multi-perspectival novel with a cast that includes my favorite character of recent memory, ‘the Gravedigger,’ an orphaned homicidal elephant.  Tania James is one of our best writers, and here she is at the height of her powers:  brilliant, hilarious, capable of the most astonishing cross-cultural interspecies ventriloquies and acrobatic leaps of empathy.  You will read this ravishing novel in an afternoon and immediately want to press it on your favorite people.”
–Karen Russell

“The Tusk That Did the Damage is a novel of great moral intensity, with the pacing of a thriller. Everyone is implicated. Everyone is righteous. Tania James’ gift, her genius, is to turn this scenario into an occasion for grace.”
–Julie Otsuka

“The Tusk That Did the Damage is one of the most unusual and affecting books I’ve read in a long time. Narrated by a poacher, a filmmaker, and, most brilliantly, an elephant, this is a compulsively readable, devastating novel.”
–Jonathan Safran Foer

“This second novel may be [James’] true coming out…Ivory trading, poaching, an escaped elephant, a risky love affair, all set in rural South India and “blend[ing] the mythical and the political”—this novel seems to have it all.”
–Sonya Chung, The Millions Blog“Most Anticipated Books of 2015”

“VERDICT: Fascinating facts and fiction about elephants are presented, and James’s gift for the side-by-side portrayal of different cultures is evident here, as in her previous books. The complexity of the issues involved make this a perfect book club choice.”
–Library Journal

“A novel with the brevity, polish, and resonance of a folk tale, both timeless and firmly anchored in the present, The Tusk That Did the Damage explores the complexities of the ivory trade without ever becoming didactic…James’ blend of compassion and restraint, and her simply gorgeous prose add up to perfection. Tusk is captivating, heartbreaking, lovely.”
–Sara Hinckley, Hudson Booksellers

“The Tusk That Did The Damage is a remarkably accomplished novel and covers a lot of ground in relatively few pages, largely because of James’ ability to switch registers, from the earthy to the lyrical, with ease.”
–Geographical Magazine READ THE FULL REVIEW

“Ambitious…original…moving…James tells three intersecting stories involving a murderous elephant on the loose in an Indian jungle. Part of the novel follows an elephant, the Gravedigger, and does a stunning job evoking an animal’s sensory world…These sections also heartbreakingly capture the elephant’s terror and confusion in the face of human cruelty…This narrative is a tour de force.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Intense and unusual…swaying ponderously between realms of lore, romance, and reality to create a heavily symbolic and achingly tragic work of fiction.”
–Booklist