Helpful Score: 1
Romochka is a four year old boy who wakes up one morning to find his mother and uncle, along with everyone in his apartment building, gone. After a few days he ventures outside into the cold unforgiving streets of Moscow. The author doesnt explain where everyone has gone as the story is told from the abandoned childs perspective but my guess is desperation. The setting appears to be a war torn country.
Cold, hungry and scared he spies a large dog and knows her belly will be warm from prior experience so he follows her. Thus begins his integration into her pack. Mamochka, her brothers and her young puppies become Romochkas new family and it isnt long before he becomes more dog-like in mannerism than human. The dogs are feral and every day is a struggle for survival, hunting food and eating it raw, cleaning their wounds with only their tongues, marking territory and avoiding other stray packs of dogs in order to make it another day.
This story was a gripping and gory, if not always believable, account about what it might be like if a pack of feral dogs accepted a human toddler into their midst. Their habits and their love and protection for each other and the human boy were fascinating and heartbreaking and excellently portrayed. There isnt very much dialogue for most of the book and as a result the story seemed even more intimate to me because we feel everything the dogs and boy experience. Parts seemed a bit too far fetched for me and at times Romochka seemed wise and physically capable beyond his years but who really knows what a young human with strong survival instincts is capable of when left out in the wild this way?
I must admit I was more entranced by the first half where the boys life becomes integrated with that of the dogs. The latter half where humans interfere broke my heart and the book then lost some of its appeal.
This is a book Id recommend reading if youre interesting in dogs as much as I am and/or enjoy a strong survival story with a unique take on things.
Cold, hungry and scared he spies a large dog and knows her belly will be warm from prior experience so he follows her. Thus begins his integration into her pack. Mamochka, her brothers and her young puppies become Romochkas new family and it isnt long before he becomes more dog-like in mannerism than human. The dogs are feral and every day is a struggle for survival, hunting food and eating it raw, cleaning their wounds with only their tongues, marking territory and avoiding other stray packs of dogs in order to make it another day.
This story was a gripping and gory, if not always believable, account about what it might be like if a pack of feral dogs accepted a human toddler into their midst. Their habits and their love and protection for each other and the human boy were fascinating and heartbreaking and excellently portrayed. There isnt very much dialogue for most of the book and as a result the story seemed even more intimate to me because we feel everything the dogs and boy experience. Parts seemed a bit too far fetched for me and at times Romochka seemed wise and physically capable beyond his years but who really knows what a young human with strong survival instincts is capable of when left out in the wild this way?
I must admit I was more entranced by the first half where the boys life becomes integrated with that of the dogs. The latter half where humans interfere broke my heart and the book then lost some of its appeal.
This is a book Id recommend reading if youre interesting in dogs as much as I am and/or enjoy a strong survival story with a unique take on things.
What a wonderful book! I REALLY enjoyed this! Based loosely on the story of Ivan Mishukov, a young boy who lived with a pack of feral street dogs, this fictionalized re-vamping was both a heartbreakingly beautiful and a disturbingly realistic book. Feral children fascinate so many people, as they raise so many questions about both humanity and the creatures that replace parents. While this topic is heavily covered in literature (_The Jungle Book_ being a famous example), many modern books (like Alice Hoffman's _Second Nature_ or Kristin Hannah's _Magic Hour_) are softened into more of a romance novel, whereas this book celebrates the grimmer (and certainly disgusting) realities. At times, this is a harsh, and troubling read, not for the faint of stomach, but the moments of pure love and beauty balance out the book, making it an enjoyable read.
Painstakingly researched, this book fully addresses its topics and themes in, an at times, cold light. Brief (under 300 pages), but undeniably powerful, Hornung handled a tough subject. She is a talented writer and i am curious about her past works and any future books she may write.
I will admit that I would have liked to see the story develop even more, but I was not in any way dissatisfied by the ending.
Painstakingly researched, this book fully addresses its topics and themes in, an at times, cold light. Brief (under 300 pages), but undeniably powerful, Hornung handled a tough subject. She is a talented writer and i am curious about her past works and any future books she may write.
I will admit that I would have liked to see the story develop even more, but I was not in any way dissatisfied by the ending.
This is a brilliantly written novel, though sometimes a little too brilliant. What I mean, is that quite a few times I had to put this book down because I was either disgusted, annoyed, befuddled, or plain emotionally overwhelmed... not by her writing, but by the turn the story took. This is an impossibly realistic novel full of deep insights into human and animal minds. I felt I was truly there, seeing this as it happened, and completely unable to stop the horrors and stupidity of mankind. Like a nightmare you are forced to watch... wow!
I highly recommend this book for everyone - touchingly emotional and wonderfully done!
I highly recommend this book for everyone - touchingly emotional and wonderfully done!
I can't stop thinking about this book. It picked me up, made me cry, made me cringe, made me laugh, made me so happy I read it. The final scene often comes back to rattle my brains. We've all heard of dog boys and Russia probably comes to mind. It makes a fine novel when you think: "Wait... did this actually happen?" If it did, it would happen this way. Love is abandoned in despair and constantly sought by those abandoned. I don't know if I wanted Romochka to continue his life with the dogs or be "redeemed" by caring humans. It's been a few months now and I still can't decide.
