The Wolf in the Attic by Paul Kearney
It’s 1929 and eleven year old Anna Francis lives with her father, George in a damp, lonely old house in Oxford, England. Life hasn’t been great for them since they fled Greece. Her mother and brother were both killed at the hands of the Turks who destroyed their city. Her father is no longer the pleasant man who educated her in the Greek myths and read to her when she was small. He’s wasted away their money and spends his time drinking and holding meetings with other expatriates. Anna’s life is very lonely and sad. Her doll Pie is all she has to talk to.
While Anna’s father is holding his meetings, Anna sneaks out of the house for adventures in the city and wood near her house. Anna’s adventures are just beginning. First she witnesses a murder and the murderer sees her, but lets her go. Anna has some very nice run-ins with two not-yet-famous men, Jack Lewis (C.S. Lewis) and Ronald Tollers (J.R.R. Tolkien). She even gives Tolkien some ideas about what a tree might say and what it might sound like. Fans of Tolkien will get a little chuckle!
One day, Anna decides to make the attic of the old home her special place. Once she starts spending time there, she comes across young Luca hiding out in the attic. Luca comes from a family of gypsies and getting to know him will change Anna’s life forever.
The writer uses a lovely descriptive atmosphere here which fits with the dreamlike sequences that unfold. Anna was a very sympathetic character and I felt so sad for her. At about the halfway point, the book changed to something very different. It took a startling turn that caught me off guard and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going from there. It was a bit like reading two short stories. The Wolf in the Attic is book of many delights. It draws heavily from numerous areas such as Greek mythology, English folklore, paganism, and other theological themes. It’s a good read for those of you who love fairy tales.
I want to thank the publisher (Rebellion Publishing) for providing me with the ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
Book Haunt 
Nice review! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I do book reviews for Rosie Amber but occasionally if I run across a book on my own that I really, really like!
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I am about 80% done with this, and at the halfway point, it did feel like I was reading a new book. I, however, like the second part. The first part was very lovely, and felt like I was reading almost a fairytale – while this second part is still have that lovely prose, it mood like a dark supernatural fairytale, and flirting a little almost with horror.
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It does indeed have gorgeous prose and I absolutely agree about the “flirting with horror” comment! In fact, I love the way you’ve described it altogether:)
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I’ve been seriously considering picking this one up, but your comment about the book taking a sudden turn and reading like two short stories worries me. Is it that jarring?
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No, Anna’s life takes what was to me an unexpected twist. I would recommend giving it a try and I’m anxious to see what you think if you do.
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Take a look at the comment by DJ (@MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape) . She hits the nail on the head with her description!
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This looks like a great book!
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Sounds like an interesting read! Great review. I’ll have to take a look at this one.
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Thank you for the review. I’ll put that title on my library list.
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I’m so glad you liked it! I’ll be waiting to see what you think.
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