THE PET SHOP
By
A symbolic play of the social order and the rise of fascism which leaves an impression of confusion and defeatism, and seems forced and unreal in these vital times. The setting is a pet shop with animals representing various levels of society:- guinea pigs breed, mice labor, a crazy monkey is thinly disguised as a goose-stepping Hitler who destroys the precarious peace. The rheumatic proprietor completes the artificial analogy... Eckstoin can write fantasy -- but when he tries to imbue it with profound significance it creaks, and groans, and fails of its purpose.