Bobby, 31, who “should[t] to be a man, but [se] sense[t] like a little boy”, lives under the influence of the “Fat”, an ignoble being, until he runs away and meets Mr. Summers on his way. This “little man”, as strange as sensitive, teaches him to respect the death of animals, ensuring a burial ritual for each animal found dead, savagely crushed by humans. In this surprising crossing in Cornwall, washed down with glasses of whiskey, the duo takes a path as improbable as it is disturbing on which death, beasts, aggressiveness and candor waltz with a disarming naturalness. Carried by this ingenuous character, a frank and childish voice, All the little animals captivated by its timelessness and uniqueness, by its picturesque and unexpected character. This novel by Walker Hamilton – he would write only two in his short life – was published in 1968 and republished here in a version illustrated by Mehdi Beneitez which provides an unusual and tender visual, like these marginal characters.
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