The novel ‘The Murderer’s Ape’ is a very inspiring story in which a gorilla is weaving her way in and out through the many problems that she has to face. Sally Jones, the gorilla, lost her only friend, and has to find a way to live on her own for 25 years. But she realizes that she won’t be able to be alive in 25 years, so she has to find another way. 

In the beginning of the book, Sally Jones and Henry Koskela, who are both seamen, dock their ship onto the quayside. But they were completely out of money because of the repairs that needed to be done for the ship after the terrible storm and the crash with a sperm whale. They  entered a cafe by the name of O’ Pelicano and were given free food. Then, a mysterious man by the name of Alphonse Morro came into the cafe and approached them. He offered Koskela a job to carry some cargo with azulejos, which are ceramic tiles, from the river Zezere to Lisbon. Henry agreed, and they sailed towards the place. They later returned with nothing but their lifeboat, and once again came to O’ Pelicano to tell the very sad story that led to them with nothing but a lifeboat. 

After this terrible incident, Henry was arrested for supposedly murdering Morro on the quayside. Sally Jones was left with nothing but the lifeboat to take care of and to wait for Henry to be released. But Henry never returned. This story is very endearing because of the conflicts that keep happening, and will only resolve in the end where literally no hope could be found. There are a lot of characters in the story, and they all play a huge role in the book, not mentioning Sally Jones, who is the heart of the book. 

This novel really means something to me. It reminds me of when I had bad days before, and also gets me thinking about the future, but in a good way. This book fills me with joy and I’m very interested in the story while I’m reading it, even though I’m reading it for about the seventh time. This book has this effect on me because of all the characters, they influenced me to not give up in life, and that really changed the way I am. Overall, I will rate this book 6 out of 5, and I really recommend this book for those who love the mystery genre. I never hated this book, and never will.