Dog Boy

Dog Boy by Eva Hornung

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Don’t expect the Disneyfied version of the urban “Jungle Book.” This is a shocking and horrifyingly believable story of an abandoned boy, rescued from the Russian winter and brought up by a pack of feral dogs. He survives with his new “family” through the many challenges imposed on them by the weather, society, gangs of homeless, rival packs of dogs, and authorities – police and medical crews. There are a few positive characters sympathetic to the dog boy, but mostly there are dangers, which he survives and takes in stride, with a dog-like resilience.

Also, heed my advice—don’t let your guard down. Every time I relaxed carried by the story, something terrible happened, something at the same time inconceivable and frighteningly logical from the perspective of pure survival. I can’t remember if ever a novel shook me to the core so many times during the course of the story, until the very end. Fortunately, there is a hint of hope throughout, and all is not doom and gloom. A fascinating story!

View all my reviews