When I picked up this book, I thought it looked like a charming story of the ups and downs of childhood. The front cover and the blurb on the back did not prepare me for the dark and intensely disturbing atmosphere of The Wild.

When Francine, a single mother and her two children move in with the bohemian William and his three daughters, life seems great. They have healthy meals, sing songs and have plenty of outdoor space to roam around in. Nine year old Tess loves her new home, where she has her own plot of garden and gets to look after chickens. Her older brother Jake and their vicious but loyal cat, Odin, aren’t so happy with their new family. As life goes on and Francine and William become more involved, Tess slowly begins to realise that the new man in her mother’s life is not as perfect as he appears to be and that she will never be fully accepted into his family. Continue reading →