The Midnight Zoo

by Sonya Hartnett, Andrea Offermann (Illustrator)

Master storyteller Sonya Hartnett crafts a magical and moving fable about war and redemption . . . and what it means to be free.When the Germans attack their Romany encampment during World War II, Andrej and his younger brother, Tomas, flee through a ravaged countryside under cover of darkness, guarding a secret bundle. Their journey leads to a bombed-out town, where the boys discover a hidden a zoo filled with creatures in need of hope. Like Andrej and Tomas, the animals--wolf and eagle, monkey and bear, lioness and seal, kangaroo and llama-- have stories to share and a mission to reclaim their lives.Book HardcoverPublication 9/13/2011 208Reading Age 10 and Up

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, War, Animals

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Sonya Hartnett (also works under the pseudonym Cameron S. Redfern) is, or was, something of an Australian child prodigy author. She wrote her first novel at the age of thirteen, and had it published at fifteen. Her books have also been published in Europe and North America. Her novels have been published traditionally as young adult fiction, but her writing often crosses the divide and is also enjoyed by adults.

"I chose to narrate the story through a child because people like children, they WANT to like them," says Sonya Hartnett of THURSDAY'S CHILD, her brilliantly original coming-of-age story set during the Great Depression. "Harper [the young narrator] is the reason you get sucked into the characters. Even I, who like to distance myself from my characters, felt protective of her."

The acclaimed author of several award-winning young adult novels--the first written when she was just 13--Australian native Sonya Hartnett says she wrote THURSDAY'S CHILD in a mere three months. "It just pulled itself together," she says. "I'd wanted to set a story in the Depression for some time, in an isolated community that was strongly supportive. Once the dual ideas of the boy who tunneled and the young girl as narrator gelled, it almost wrote itself--I had the cast, I had the setting, I just said 'go.' " Accustomed to writing about edgy young adult characters, Sonya Hartnett says that identifying with a seven-year-old protagonist was a challenge at first. "I found her difficult to approach," she admits. "I'm not really used to children. But once I started, I found you could have fun with her: she could tell lies, she could deny the truth." Whereas most children know "only what adults want them to know," the author discovered she could bypass that limitation by "turning Harper into an eavesdropper and giving her older siblings to reveal realities."

In her second book with Candlewick Press, WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, Sonya Hartnett once again creates a portrait of childhood. This time the subject is Adrian, a nine-year-old boy living in the suburbs with his gran and Uncle. For Adrian, childhood is shaped by fear: his dread of quicksand, shopping centers, and self-combustion. Then one day, three neighborhood children vanish--an incident based on a real case in Australia in the 1960s--and Adrian comes to see just how tenuous his safety net is. In speaking about Adrian, the author provocatively reveals parallels between herself and her character. She says, "Adrian is me in many respects, and many of the things that happen to him happened to me."

Sonya Hartnett's consistently inspired writing has built her a legion of devotees. Of THURSDAY'S CHILD, Newbery Honor-winning author Carolyn Coman says, "Hartnett's beautifully rendered vision drew me in from the very start and carried me along, above and under ground, to the very end. This book amazed me." The achingly beautiful WHAT THE BIRDS SEE has just as quickly garnered critical acclaim. Notes PUBLISHERS WEEKLY in a starred review, "Hartnett again captures the ineffable fragility of childhood in this keenly observed tale. . . . Sophisticated readers will appreciate the work's acuity and poetic integrity." Sonya Hartnett's third young adult novel, STRIPES OF THE SIDESTEP WOLF was named an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.

Sonya Hartnett lives near Melbourne, Australia. Her most recent novels are SURRENDER, a mesmerizing psychological thriller, and THE SILVER DONKEY, a gently told fable for middle-grade readers.

Reviews

[Nomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often find it hard to review books that startle me with their brilliance. It's as if my own use of the English language can not conjour up anything eloquent enough to match the beauty of the book.

I have been a long time fan of Sonya Hartnett. I have vivid memories of the first time I read her work (Sleeping Dogs ~ I was 14 and reading that book stirred something deep deep inside me & the reading of it is a favourite reading memory of mine).

I am not entirely sure why she has been labelled YA. Her work really does transcend all ages and genres. I am pleased that her books are easily in reach of teens (who will find magic in her books) but I also think her work will resound with all humans in general ;)

I have mentioned on here before how much I ADORE Sonya Hartnett. In fact, she is my most top-read author (according to goodreads ~ alongside John Marsden) having read 14 of her books. I love her so much I find it hard to choose a favourite book of hers but can happily say that The Midnight Zoo carved a new little spot for itself up among my top faves of hers.

The Midnight Zoo is set during WW11, but it doesn't feel like it is particular to that time. The use of magical realism, a fable-like style and the story being told from the POV of two young boys lends the whole tale to an enchanting other-worldy era.

I always prefer to steal into Hartnett's books completely blind ~ with no sense of where she might be taking me (for that reason I don't want to hint much at plot).

What I mainly have to say about this book is it is simply astonishing, utterly gorgeous and deeply moving. It was a truly sensory experience, being transported to another time and place.

I felt such a tenderness and protectiveness towards Andrej and Tomas (gosh, they were brave and daring and scared and perfectly endearing). I was so rooting for them and invested in them, they scampered right into my heart and set up camp there :)

The animals in the zoo are absolutely charming and mystifying. They can talk to the boys and they all have their own shining personalities and stories to tell. This aspect of the book was handled with such eloquent ease and finesse I was just astounded.

The other thing I loved about this book is it is completely unpredictable. Knowing Hartnett's other work, I wanted to hope for a happy ending but knew it wasn't guaranteed. Also ~ her spectacular use of magical realism adds a new dimension in taking the story to somewhere truly gasp-worthy. I felt an ache and tremendous satisfaction at the end.

It's life-affirming and a tear-jerker and achingly hopeful and a simply brilliant story to spend your time with.

It could easily be studied in high school because it is full of gorgeousness and themes and I am sure each re-read (I will re-read this for sure) will show new layers of meaning and depth.

THE MIDNIGHT ZOO has been short-listed alongside some of my other favourite favourite books for the CBCA Book of the year for older readers (2010) [alongside [bookcover:Graffiti Moon|7863274] . It is available internationally. It is on my favourites shelf at home and I absolutely completely love it.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrej and Tomas were fleeing from the soldiers with their baby sister Wilma – the soldiers had appeared in the clearing where the Rom gypsy clan had been camped and the three children had been in the woods at the time. Andrej saw what was happening; heard his mother call “run children” - and he urged his younger brother to flee.

Days and weeks of running; hiding during the day, moving and foraging for food during the night brought the three siblings to a village which had been reduced to rubble from bombs. But the oasis of green grass behind an iron fence which enclosed a zoo was a fascination to them. And when they heard the animals speaking to them, they each told the other their stories. The hope and despair; hunger and fear filled them all…

The Midnight Zoo by Aussie author Sonya Hartnett is a magical realism story, set during the war and told by the two gypsy boys, Andrej and Tomas. Andrej felt the crushing responsibility of caring for his two younger siblings, of making his mother proud – he shared a love and hope that things would be alright; that they would all be free. Recommended.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

“No bird in a cage ever speaks. What is there to say? The sky is everywhere, churning above its head, blue and endless, calling out to it. But the caged bird can’t answer anything except I cannot”


I think I read this book all wrong.
I think I was reading too much into it or, as the case probably is, not into it enough.

I’ll start with the things I didn’t like because I’m the kind of girl who likes to get the bad news first so it’s out of the way and I can be consoled and wrap myself in the fuzzy warmth of the good news.
Firstly, I was expecting this to be a more… definite.
Don’t get me wrong: It is about the war and it was really interesting the read about the persecution of Romani gypsies at the hands of the Nazis in Eastern Europe. I can’t think of any other books that I’ve read, and certainly not young adult ones, that focus on this subject.
But it was about the war in extremely abstract terms. Soldiers, tanks, bombs and weapons are all mentioned but almost in passing and in conversation between the animals. Yes. The talking animals.
So, I’m not sure whether that was just me and my expectations but yeah… so that was my main problem. I wonder how I would have felt about reading this if I hadn’t read so many books about WW2 in succession?
Oh well, we’ll never know.
It was also extremely short and I would have loved to have spent more time on Andrej and Tomas’ journey as opposed to the head-scratching conversations with the animals.

Anyway, now to the good parts.
Wow, Ms Hartnett can write.
Holy guacamole! There was a point, as my hand started to get cramp, whether I seriously considered just forgetting writing down my favourite passages and just photocopying it to stick in my notebook.
It read like a fairy tale… like a true fairy tale. Dark, frightening, thought-provoking and with wisps of magic snaking through the prose.
This is how writing should be all the time.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE, AUTHORS.
Here are a few of my favourite parts:

“Taking his vast and circular lantern, the moon, Night brushed aside a constellation of stars and came closer, curious to discover why no bell klong.”

“Moonlight lay on Andrej like a fairy’s suit of armour.”

“We are wildcat people, Andrej. You will never have a doormat, but the earth and sky belong to you.”

I also loved the relationship between Andrej and Tomas. I love stories that focus on siblings (I have two and they’re both a huge part of my life!) rather than a romantic element because I always think that romance is easy (or at least it’s easier) to write.
Relationships between siblings are much more complex, there’s always love but there isn’t always like. Ms Hartnett created such a pure and wonderful relationship between these boys (and let’s not forget Wilma!).

And the illustrations?
Yes.
They were so gorgeous. My favourite was the one where the boys first see the wolf standing in his enclosure in the moonlight. They were extremely striking, simple but effective.

So even though this book was a little disappointing, I still liked it and I have on good authority (From the lovely Nomes at Inkcrush!) that her other books are fantastic and I hope to get around to reading them soon.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I absolutely adored this book, it combines two of my favourite genres - historical fiction and fantasy. While the story broke my heart, it was also uplifting. The midnight zoo reminded me of The boy in striped pajamas and Life of Pi. Sonya Hartnett's writing has a magical and dreamlike quality to it, and I can't wait to read her other stories. "In the clouds above the village, the legendary black-cad horseman who is Night noticed the silence and reined in his steed, which is also black as coal. Taking his vast and circular lantern, the moon, Night brushed aside a constellation of stars and came closer, curious to discover why no bell klonged, no creauture paused, and no newborn baby, woken by midnight's arrival, opened its pink mouth and wailed."

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett is a magical tale of three children who find a zoo in the midst of a war torn country. Andrej, a Roma was forced to run with his brother and his baby sister after Nazi's capture his community. At the zoo they find that the animals can talk and they share their stories.

This book felt more like real literature than most middle grade books do. It has lots of big concepts that provide lots of potential for real thought and the prose was beautiful. I do wish that there had been more of an overreaching plot to move the story along, however the stories of all the animals and the boys were engrossing and very well written. There is some massive vocabulary in this book (along with beautiful descriptions) making this a good book for advanced readers. However the book is short enough that it is finished quickly.



Appropriateness: This book has a few difficult war scenes and asks questions that will require some higher level thinking skills (or help from an adult) to fully comprehend. I would recommend this book to readers 10-14 with it appealing equally to boys and girls.

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some beautiful passages. The writing is evocative, beautiful and powerful. However, I found myself reading something that seems unbearably dark and painful in so many ways. Each tragic tale leads to the next. The most similar thing I can think of is the story of the little match girl.

I don't know that this is much of a children's book. I can't think of a young reader I'd give it to. Adult readers may appreciate this more, and be able to deal with the tragic commentary on the war as well as the rather vague ending.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immediately after reading the text(an hour ago)I felt that the story didn't go anywhere. I had heard so many good things about the book, how beautiful it is. I felt and still feel dissapointed. I can see how it is well written, however I felt totally detached from the story. I do not think the text is engaging, there are less then a handful of times in which I actually read something that grabbed my attention.

My opinion over the last hour has only changed slightly, having given it further thought I can see some positive aspects to the text. I suppose I find interesting the way in which the story depicts a particular time in history through the flashbacks and descriptions of a young boy and talking animals. There is too a focus on freedom and hope which I usually would enjoy, however as I said didn't engage with in this text. I also find interesting the role reversal of animals and humans, the animals are depicted as having human characteristics and the boys compare themselves with animals at the beginning of the text.

Just thought I'd add that I'm usually a fan of open endings which you can interpret for yourself. In this case it just further added to the fact that the story didn't really go anywhere.

The story somewhat reminded me of The life of Pi, which I would strongly recommend reading. I found the use of animals in that text more engaging and meaningful then the use in this book.

If you are interested in reading a non-conventional text based on world war 2, I would strongly recommend reading Art Spiegelman's Maus. This is a life writing piece told from an interesting perspective in an interesting format.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this story. It is, without a doubt, beautifully written and Hartnett's lyrical descriptions of feelings, events and the characters creates vivid imagery for the reader. I loved this aspect of the novel.

As a story, it starts with promise, but then I felt it lapsed into preaching about freedom. I have no problem with fables, but the delivery of this story's message was not very authentic.

The characters of Andre and Tomas are accessible and they are very likeable. We feel for their plight and definitely sympathise with the struggles of these innocent children.
I was expecting the animals within the zoo to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light, but our introduction to them is as haughty, proud and belligerent. Many of the animals have lengthy monologues that are laden with morals and messages, but often came across as the author standing on a soapbox. I think these messages could have been conveyed much better.
The worst was the boar's tirade about war and freedom. I found this to be completely misguided and unfair. Especially as it was misdirected to the two poor children. A tirade about selfishness and destruction was completely irrelevant and a confusing response to the actions of the boys.

The ending was very disappointing.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodness. Not for everyone. Poignant is far too weak a word. Think of the darker works of Hans Christian Andersen, like The Little Match Girl. Gorgeous illustrations.

"There was a grace in accepting death when it came, even if it seemed to come too early, or too cruelly. Accepting death meant cherishing what remained of life."

"Somewhere out there, there's a gap in the water, a place which is hollow because the seal isn't there."

[Gabriel Lusty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Midnight Zoo? More like my son died.

[sunny ౨ৎ˚₊ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“you're not supposed to have iron bars around you - no one is supposed to have that. you're supposed to fall down hills and get lonely, and find your own food and get wet when it rains. that's what happens when you're alive.”

i remember reading this in year nine and as a silly little fourteen year old i thought this was the most boring book to gace the earth (this notion was not helped by the fact that i had to analyse each word to death in class).

i read it again when i was fifteen and i will always remember the dull weight in my heart when i realised what the ending of this book signified.

magical realism has never truly been my cup of tea and so i feel like there are people out there who can appreciate it's writing style and symbology a lot more than i can, but regardless, it is a beautiful piece on war and brutality through the innocent and naive lens of children where war is nothing but a zoo filled with animals.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot going on in this book. A story of two gypsy boys, with their baby sister, fleeing and hiding from the Germans during WWII. They witness their family and community being taken away to a site where they would be massacred. They come across a small zoo in a devastated town where a small group of animals are trapped within they cages. Naturally the animals can talk.
Over one night, the group talk about war, man's need to conquer others, imprisonment, freedom, responsibility, death, hope, animal cruelty, genocide and friendship. The themes are intense, the writing as good as ever from Hartnett, and an ending which is full of metaphoric meaning.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Andrej, 12, his brother Tomas, 9, and baby sister Wilma escape the carnage that soldiers have wrought upon their parents and other members of their Romany caravan, they wander by night in search of food and other necessities, always fearing and avoiding the Leader's soldiers. One night, they wander into a village that has been totally demolished by bombs. Going through the rubble, looking for anything useful in the ashy remnants, they discover that the village zoo is still intact and decide it is a safe place to stop. It is the one place that is still intact, complete with soft, grassy lawn.

Curiosity gets the best of the boys and as they go from cage to cage, they discover the ten animals - a wolf, a lioness, a monkey, a seal, a kangaroo, an eagle, a chamois, a bear, a llama and a boar - are still alive, though they are a neglected, starving menagerie. But while they are exploring, planes flying overhead begin to drop bombs on the already ruined village once again.

And when the planes leave, to be amazement of the boys, the animals start talking. As night unfolds, they tell the two boys about the zoo, the zookeeper and his daughter, Alice. Alice loved and cared for the animals but when the Leader's soldiers invaded their country, Alice became a resistance fighter. Within the safety of the zoo, she and the other resistance fighters planned a way to sabotage an enemy train. The sabotage was successful, but the Leader became very angry and took revenge on the village, continually bombing it even though nothing is left but the zoo. Alice had to go into hiding in the mountains, but promised the animals that she would return.

As night wears on, each of the animals tell the boys how they came to be caged in the zoo. And the boys share their story with the animals. Each story is different, but each shares a common thread - loss of family, loss of freedom. I don't want to go into detail about their individual stories, because I think would spoil it for any future readers. They should be read not synopsized.

The novel is always referred to as a WW2 story and it certainly sounds like one. Hartnett has said that she really hates the idea of having to tell the reader "everything in clunking detail," but it is easy enough to flush out details that correspond to events in the novel. The reference to the Leader reminds us that Hitler was also called der Führer (the leader). The fact that the boys are Romany places the novel in Eastern Europe, and the invaders remind us of the German soldiers who invaded Czechoslovakia. When Alice and her friends sabotage the enemy train, a close friend of the Leader is killed, a parallel of the killing of Hitler's friend and Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich in Prague in 1942. Angered and wanting revenge, Hitler ordered the massacre of Lidice.

I think that Hartnett deliberately kept these facts and events vague for two other reasons. First, she may have wanted this to be an ageless fable, not one that only relates to WW2, but to all conflicts. And second, because, as she said in an interview, she wants the reader to be "...part of the experience that is a book, and I like the reader to have some input into the creation of the work - to decide what happens in the end, if need be."

This second reason may be why there are so many mixed reactions to The Midnight Zoo. The story just doesn't have a tidy ending. But there is a tidy ending - the children and the animals find the elusive freedom they crave. How they find it isn't so tidy and depends on how you read some of Hartnetts's hints (my interpretation is below)

The Midnight Zoo is one of the most lyrically written books I have ever read. Hartnett masterfully combines realism , magical realism and personification to create an almost dream-like fable reminding us of the destructive nature of war. Accompanying the text are soft, almost ethereal black and white illustrations by Andrea Offermann at the beginning of each chapter, and the full color cover illustration.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+ but I would age it at 12+
This book was purchased for my personal library

**Not really a Spoiler, but my interpretation of the ending**

Hartnett does not spare the reader any of the horrors of war in her descriptions. Knowing this, when I came to the end of the novel, I didn't not see it as hopeful or life affirming. At the end, when the figure of a woman in a dark cape appears, the children and animals see who they want to see, someone they believe will take care of them. For Tomas, she is his mother, for Andrej, she is Saint Sarah, patron saint of the Romany; for the animals, she is Alice. And when I thought back on the sentence "They had journeyed to the final edge of life beyond which there were no walls,"(pg 214) my initial reaction was that the planes had returned with their bombs and it was the moment of death when the woman called the children come and eagle prepares to fly, but it was also the moment when they have found true freedom in death.

This review was originally posted at The Children's War

[indiffferente · Rating 3 out of 5]

És bastant interessant i té punts molt interessants on et convida a reflexionar i a empatitzar però el final és.... a choice.

[Thoraiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and sad. Animals caught up in a human war; Roma caught up in a non-Roma war; it seems to our young hero that everyone is caught up in it and it isn't really anyone's war. Did they die in the end? I'm all heart-achey and weepy!

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

it is a beautiful book, but not something I enjoy reading

[Lottie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was TERRIBLE do not read it!!!!?

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Midnight Zoo’, written by Sonya Hartnett, is a fable book released in 2010, about two Roma boys who were running from the Nazis during WWII. They come across a Zoo, and once bombs are dropped, the animals begin to talk. This unique structured text takes the reader on an emotional journey, filled with humour, happiness, sorrow, heartache, and relief.
In this book, I really enjoyed the way Hartnett structured descriptions, making it effortless to visualise the characters, and deeply connect to them, adding attachment and relatability. I liked this because as a reader, it added so much more visualisation to the book, that adds depth to the book which wouldn’t be experienced without it.
There were some small errors I found along the way, which I didn’t fully like, and it turned me away a fair bit. The text was very repetitive, with the boys in the zoo communicating with the animals. I felt like Sonya Hartnett was being over explanative. She told you too much information, taking off some of the joy from suspense and inference to find out what’s next.
The ending also was not satisfactory to my expectation. It was extremely disappointing, how after all the journey we went on with the boys, they squeezed a massive plot twist ending into a few pages. It was way too sudden, and made the whole book seem useless, as it didn’t relate at all with the ending.
Overall, I recommend this book to older audiences, as some of the themes were graphic, and it may upset younger children. The heartache you feel with the characters may upset younger audiences, along with the themes not being understood at that age.
Personally, I give this book a 2 out of 5 stars, because although I wasn’t satisfied with the story line, plot or ending, it was really well written, and the description made visualising effortless and enjoyable.

[Marlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

“The Midnight Zoo” Book Review
‘The Midnight Zoo’ is a historical narrative and a fable written by Sonya Hartnett and was released in 2010. The book starts off with two boys and a baby girl in eastern Europe during World War two. They journey around an abandoned town where they find a zoo, they talk to those animals and find their story, the boys decide to release the animals and return them to their homeland.
An aspect I enjoyed in the book is the story line, although some chapters seem boring much of these pages are filled with enjoyable moments, some which make you cry.
Even being an amazing story, a downside I have found is that the book is very slow and even if the description is good there is just way too much of it another part I disliked is that there was too much dialog and the storyies of all the animals are over explained
generally recommend this book to more adult people from the ages 13 and above.

[Sandra Dias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Duas crianças tentam escapar a uma zona em guerra transportando um misterioso e precioso embrulho.

No meio da noite, entre casas em ruínas, ruas desertas e uma escuridão apenas interrompida pelos clarões de bombas, vêem-se no meio de um local que nunca pensaram existir ainda.

Preservado no meio de um cenário de guerra está um pequeno zoo , com os seus animais ainda enjaulados, num estado calamitoso e esfomeados.

O que se passa a seguir é uma luta de sobrevivência em que 2 crianças tentam de todas as maneiras possíveis salvar os animais.

[Cal Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in fifth grade, and I remembered it well for the lessons it taught me then about empathy and human conflict. Now more than ever, I feel like stories that outline the horrors and brutalities that war leaves in its wake are important to read and understand. This is especially true when we’re younger and learning about the world, having the same questions that Andrej does. The brutal realism of the war backdrop combined with a story format that resembles a children’s fable makes this an extremely available read for a variety of ages.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This takes place in Romania during WWII. The main characters are two gypsy children fleeing for their lives with their sister. The story is weird and involves talking animals. They are in a small zoo and tell their stories. The ending is open ended, and that was the part I liked least.

[Tien · Rating 5 out of 5]

TBA

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story of war, animals and devasting loss.

[annie spiteri · Rating 1 out of 5]

worse book ever

[aston]

The Most boring book I ever read

[Britt Meter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't what I expected and overall I didn't hate the story but I didn't enjoy it, I usally hate war stories it makes me sick with dread and anger from what soldiers did to innocent people. It was one sad story after another andI didn't get the talking animals in it, just didn't make sense. It was a 2 stars.

[Jacqueline Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written but so sad, and I wonder if my students will read it or grasp any of the undertones. The truth of this book is stark, bleak, and I feel like my heart has been gutted.

[Readerholic ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars 🌟
That ending was trash

[Su E · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s one of those books that stay in your subconscious and sometimes you’ll remember a snippet of it and wonder whether it was real or whether you dreamt it.