I am so glad I discovered Katherine Rundell. This has been one of the best things that I can take away from 2023 – The Golden Mole was a revelation and when I discovered that she also wrote fiction, it was only a matter of time until I sought her out.
I was lucky enough to be gifted this for Christmas and what a delight it was. Rundell has included a preface which sets the tone, explaining what the wolf wilder does and whilst I am not sure about how accurate this is in terms of the history of wolves in Russian aristocratic houses, its truth is not important to the understanding of her story.
We meet Feodora and her mother, Marina in their remote homestead with their wolf companions and the book explodes into action with an encounter which is intimidating and throws us into Rundell’s created world with the impact comparable to having a snowball to the face- shocking, stark and brutal.
Feo is a girl whose friends are wolves; and yet, they are not either as she has a healthy respect for the fact that they are wild animals and treats them as such. However, there is a fierce loyalty between species which provides a warmth to the novel, of camaraderie and strength and reliance as well as resilience and courage. When Feo finds herself faced with her worst fear, it seems like she has been left alone but actually, she is far from it.
Her quest to save those who matter most to her and vanquish her worst enemy takes her away from everything that she has known but also towards knowledge about a life that could be known to her or which could run alongside her current existence. It exposes her to a life that she would not have been exposed to if hardship had not been brought to her door.
I liked this book very much. I liked the threat facing Feo and how she faced it; I liked the relationships formed within the book; I liked the inclusion of wolves; I liked the fact that Rundell presented the darkness of the world but also that with hope, optimism and a collective approach, this can be conquered. I also liked the fact that there was loss but that this did not dominate nor get glossed over.
This was, on all levels, a great book.
Scuffed Granny 