Wild Boy by Jill Dawson

Wild Boy

Jill Dawson

This is an engrossing story of a feral boy found in France at the beginning of the 19th century, the attempts made to 'civilise' him, and the effect he has on the doctor and governess who look after him. The central characters all have hinted-at secrets which makes you carry on reading long after you planned to put it down!

Extract
I shaded my eyes against the sunlight and made out a dark shape: a dog, black and gangling and unnaturally still, tethered to a tree with some rope ... as I looked, the dog transformed himself. In front of my eyes emerged a crouching, dark filthy creature, but a human creature nonetheless.
Parallels
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
  • Nell - the film
  • Ben in the World by Doris Lessing