The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
The Wolf Wilder has the feel of a Russian fairytale. It tells of turn-of-the-century Russia, a country just beginning to discover Lenin’s message, and a young girl named Feo who lives with her mother and teaches the pampered wolf pets of the Russian nobility how to be wild again when they outlive their appeal at court.
In this volatile political climate, Feo and her mother, Marina, have a run in with Rakov, a commander in the Russian army who commands them to stop wilding the wolves, and when they don’t, develops a personal vendetta against Feo and imprisons Marina with plans to execute her in one week’s time.
Feo embarks on a journey to free Marina from prison, with the help of some special friends.
Despite the fact that this book has the classic fairy tale trope of “get rid of the parent so the child can have an adventure,” I loved the way this book dealt with that tropey situation. Rather than adventuring in spite of her mother’s wishes and upbringing, it’s clear throughout the book that Feo is out adventuring because of her mother- not just to liberate her from prison, but because of the valuable lessons she was taught at her mother’s side. Despite her feral appearance, Feo shows her deep humanity and capacity for caring because of, not despite, the attentions of her mother.
I also enjoyed the degree to which natural elements, such as the wolves themselves, and the cold Russian winter, played key roles in the story. They were never anthropomorphized, but their influence was well felt and appropriately realistic (for a fairy tale in which riding on a wolf’s back is feasible).
Questions for further discussion:
How much did the political climate really matter to the story? Would this story have worked at another time or place in history?
What was the role of the ballet school in the story?
What do you think happened to the children after the events of the story? Does it matter?
