Amberville by Tim Davys

Amberville by Tim Davys is a weird, weird book. I'm not sure it's fantasy, exactly, because it wouldn't be a huge leap to tell the same story with human characters rather than stuffed animals. The suspension of disbelief took a little while to kick in for me.

This book got mixed reviews because of the author's choice to populate his somewhat European setting (Germany, I think, or maybe England?) with full-size stuffed animals who are all relatively equal in size, with the unexplained exception of the character who's a smallish snake.

The main characters are twin bears, Eric Bear and Teddy Bear (groan, I know). Unfortunately for them, they love the same woman, whose father is a mafia kingpin and uses her to uncover the stuffed animal society's greatest secret: the Death List. The kingpin's name is on that list, and he wants it removed. The conflict and characterization are strong, and in the end, Eric Bear has to choose between two people (well, stuffed animals) he loves. Plenty of reasons to keep reading, and the twists keep coming.

A big part of Amberville is the question of the nature of good and evil. I can't say what I really want to say about that, or the vehicle Davys used to drive it home, without adding a spoiler.

I'm not positive the stuffed animals are necessary to the story. On the other hand, I found the plot and characters engaging, and I read the book straight through in one sitting. And it made me think.