Book Review: Old Wolf by Avi

 

Another book that really just feels like it's geared towards me. Spoilers ahead.

Nashoba is an elderly wolf and leader of his pack. One day one of his packmates challenges him to leadership, and Nashoba ends up losing his leadership position and being banished from the pack. Now injured and starving, he is barely clinging onto life. A friendly raven named Merla tries to help him. Meanwhile, a kid named Casey dreams of becoming a hunter and shooting an animal with his new bow and arrows. Nashoba and Casey seem to be destined to meet, but will this meeting end well?

Yep, this was a really emotional and harrowing read. You just feel so damn bad for Nashoba (and later Merla as she dies). Nashoba is almost dying throughout most of this book and you just feel his suffering. Even the one thing that remains in his life, Merla, the raven looking after him, is taken from him when Casey shoots the bird. Poor guy.

Casey I was really expecting to hate in this book, because he's a brash brat who keeps wanting to kill animals in a violent way throughout most of the story. But thankfully he mellows out once he shoots Merla and finds Nashoba injured, even helping the old wolf. I was so ready to hate this character, but thankfully the author knew to redeem him at least somewhat. I'm still not sure if I can forgive Casey for killing the raven, but at least he's trying to make up for it by helping Nashoba.

I also really liked the book's ending. I was really fearing that this book was going to end with Nashoba's death, but surprisingly it ends with Nashoba finally getting up despite his injuries and deciding that he wants to keep on living. What happens next is anyone's guess, but it's at least a little bit of a positive ending to an otherwise very bleak story. I don't think I've read many stories where the main character is constantly suffering from pain and/or starvation and/or loss like this. 

So yeah, a very emotionally gripping read. Do recommend this one.

Rating: 4.5/5