Seems somehow fitting that my first review for Goodreads is for a book that — despite it's promisingly powerful premise — didn't emotionally resonate as deeply as I hoped. Might be down to the hard to relate to character of Romochka and his posse of canines, or to the way the book leaps away from the protagonist a third of the way from it's conclusion, but I found myself remembering to appreciate the novel's conceit and originality — rather than innately appreciate it without prompting.But therein lies the charm and power of Dog Boy. It's not bombastic or verbosely clever, it doesn't pepper you with easily emotive passages or characters you can effortlessly love. It's a complex, multilayered read that has you feeling for and repelling against its central character, with prose that's lilting, tender and strange. Like feral dogs, this isn't an easily domesticated read, but rather one that's at times gentle, at others savage, but always tenacious and always filled with a desire to survive. And if you're not a dog lover going into it, you will be coming out.Dog Boy might not immediately resonate, but it's a strange and haunting story that lingers after other more digestible stories have faded from memory. Go with it, and you'll find yourself transported; that in itself is story telling at its most powerful. Interesting to say the least.... a four year old abandoned, finding a pack of dogs to live with and adapting to their way of life.There were some grusome moments in here, mainly the way the boy would hunt and eat, but that is just survival, and that's what he did.The descriptions of how the dogs interacted with each other are what made the book for me, fell down a bit towards the end, when the doctor stepped in to restore him to normal life.Very good.
What do You think about Dogboy (2009)?
Would not recommend - well written but tragic and painful, not my idea of a good read :(
—gundi01
Loved it, read it twice and will read it several times again!
—Dragon
Pretty bleak but awesome in an anarchic kind of way.
—mmm
Atmospheric and haunting, something else entirely.
—falsefighter77
Excellent story, didn't want it to finish.
—Reader66
