Ferrets in Literature: "The Dress Lodger," by Sheri Holman
ISBN 0-345-43691-1
 
Even the most fanatical of ferret fanciers is forced to admit that the
appeal for the furry focus of their passion is not universal, and nowhere
is this more evident than in the dearth of significant ferret roles in
modern literature.  There are of course non fiction books dedicated to
ferret health and care, and a handful of children's books, like "Zucchini"
by Barbara Dana, but in adult fiction ferrets are usually limited to brief
references, as in the novel "The Angel of Darkness" by Caleb Carr.  Thus
it was with growing delight that I first encountered Mike the ferret in
Sheri Holman's "The Dress Lodger" and realized that here at last a domestic
ferret played a significant role in a popular work of fiction.
 
"The Dress Lodger" is a fictional account of a very real event: the cholera
epidemic of 1831 in Sunderland, England.  Mike, an albino hob, is owned by
Whilky, the proprietor of a boarding house, a dilapidated and squalid inn
at the heart of the town's ghetto.  The bulk of the story's events are
centered on the inn and the people who live here or those who are drawn
into their lives (the two main characters are Gustine, who lives at the
inn, and Doctor Chiver, who enters an odd working relationship with
Gustine).  Holman describes Mike and his actions almost exclusively through
Whilky or Whilky's daughter, Pink.  For Whilky, Mike is an endless source
of pride, for his ferret is a champion ratter, and has easily defeated
all other challengers in competition for the past year.  Mike is Whilky's
constant companion, and he spends much of his time sleeping, wrapped about
his owner's neck.  Pink is virtually an orphan, whose mother died in
childbirth, and who's father's care alternates between extreme neglect and
extreme abuse with no middle ground.  It is obvious to Pink that Whilky
loves Mike and not her, but rather than resent her father's preferential
treatment of Mike, Pink idolizes Mike and considers him an older and wiser
brother.  Pink does her best to act like a ferret, much to the annoyance
of her father and utter confusion of guests, and whenever faced with a
dilemma, Pink tries to imagine "what Mike would do," in a desperate attempt
to make the choice that would best please her father.
 
While it was not the author's intent, although she admits in an after word
that Pink was originally the name of the ferret, the relationship between
Mike and Pink becomes the true heart of the story, and provides the only
pure light in what is a very dark novel.  But this is no "Lassie", and
Mike doesn't physically save anyone (other than indirectly by keeping the
boarding house free of rats and frogs, from which the entire city of
Sunderland is suffering from an infestation), however as the novel
progresses the reader finds Mike more and more in the company of Pink,
whose deep emotional distress is almost painful to behold, and the last
we see of Mike is sleeping curled up around Pink's neck rather than her
father's.  Pink at long last finds requited love.
 
"The Dress Lodger" is a well written and entertaining novel that I
recommend to even non ferret people, but for those who are only familiar
with the sanitized view of England in the early 1800's depicted in film
adaptations of Dickens or Austin, the book will appear to be overly dark
and depressing, although it only portraying an accurate picture of life
in those times.  Gustine, the closest person to being a protagonist in the
story, is a prostitute, and Holman does deal with a large number of other
adult topics in this novel in a frank and sometimes graphic way.
 
Leonard Bottleman                    [log in to unmask]
http://www.cascadeferret.org         http://www.whiteweasel.net
[Posted in FML issue 3386]