Dogchild
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
A boy raised by wild dogs fights for survival in this gripping post apocalyptic tale by an acclaimed Carnegie Medalist. Jeet is a dogchild, raised by the wild dogs who killed his parents, then recaptured and “rehumanized.” He now lives with one of only two remaining human communities in the world, besieged by the much larger enemy clan. In a wasteland shaped by war, starvation, and haunting violence, Jeet grapples with his identity — he misses his wild family, and the people of his clan see dogchilds as less than human. When the human clans begin to prepare for a final, bloody battle against each other, Jeet is at the center. His struggle and his relationship with another rehumanized dogchild shed light on what it means to be human or inhuman — and what it takes to be a survivor. In his most ambitious novel yet, Carnegie Medalist Kevin Brooks offers a breathless work of speculative fiction that will have readers at the edge of their seat.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
in this stark tale, Brooks (Born Scared) imagines a postapocalyptic future in which Jeet, a child raised by dogs, plays a vital role in the continuation of humankind. On the orders of town Marshal Gun Sur, Jeet chronicles "the times and lives of our people" leading up to looming final battle with their enemies, the Dau. He begins with his own story: being separated from his people as a baby, then brought up by a pack of Deathland dogs, and, years later, rehumanized. In the narrative's present, Gun Sur directs Jeet to raid the Dau encampment on the same day that Chola Se, a dogchild with whom Jeet feels a connection, goes missing. In order to fulfill his mission and rescue Chola Se, Jeet must reconnect with his pack, blending his human and canine abilities and skills. After the two escape, Chola Se reveals to Jeet that she has been repeatedly raped in the camp, by Dau as well as by a leader from their own town. Together, the two seek to thwart the traitor and determine their own destiny. Brooks has created unique characters that convincingly bridge the gap between human and animal thought processes, though Chola Se's multiple sexual assaults skew uncomfortably toward device. The unusual figures, the harrowing scenario, and the taut, relentless action sequences combine to produce a story told without apostrophes, quotation marks, or traditional chapter breaks that readers will find difficult to put down. Ages 14 up.
