Suggestion of book “Wolf Brother”

I have just read the book “Wolf Brother” by Michelle Paver. Here is a little summary of the book’s major events:

Six thousand years ago, a great forest covered most of north-west Europe. People then lived in clans, roaming the land. 12-year-old Torak is alone. His father was from the Wolf clan; mother from the Red Deer. His mother died 12 summers ago; his father killed by a demon bear. The story begins with his father’s end. Fa made Torak swear that he would, no matter how, find the Mountain of the World Spirit, or die trying. Then he died. Scavenging for food, he met a cub whose family had been killed by a flash flood. The cub became his guide. Then Torak was captured by the Raven clan. It changed his life forever, for a young girl, Renn, reveals that he is the Listener, the only person who can stop the demon bear – since the demon bear was made, for the sole purpose of killing his father. She decided to help him on his destiny – to get revenge for his father.

This is a wonderfully, beautifully crafted tale of timelessness. The bond between wolf and boy is extraordinarily strong, and so is the friendship between boy and girl. Together they embark on a journey to the unknown, to a place that nobody has ever gone to, to somewhere that may just lead to death. The only clue he has to this mysterious mountain is a generation-long riddle and an old legend. Can Torak kill the bear? Can he arouse the world spirit? These questions swarm in my head, keeping me flipping the pages. This is not only an adventure – it is the evidence of the care, love and respect Wolf and Torak give each other.

I have always thought that wolves were only creatures that were loyal to each other and they live in packs. I also believed that they were brutal and ruthless to creatures that are not familiar to them. They kill unmercifully. But thinking about it now, that is just their way of survival. If they don’t kill, they can’t eat. Aren’t we humans the same? Possibly even worse, since we are making hundreds of species extinct every minute.

I really recommend this book to you. I am not going to tell you what happens next, just so that there is a tint of suspense. But the ending shakes one’s heart, I can promise you. The journey doesn’t end here, it continues till the very end of the series. So next time when you’re not feeling happy, do what Torak does: howl your breath away. If someone responses, you know that you are not alone.