A Times Book of the Year,2019
THE SECOND WORLD WAR IS OVER. BUT THE WORLD IS FAR FROM SAFE.
As victorious Russian troops sweep across East Prussia,a group of desperate children face a new battle. Confronted by critical food shortages and the onset of a bitterly cold winter,these'wolf children'secretly cross the border into Lithuania in search of work or food to take back to their starving families. In a world still reeling from the devastation of war,the children must risk everything to survive.
In the Shadow of Wolves is a story of resilience,devastation and,ultimately,hope. Based on meticulous research,Alvydaslepikas's stunningly powerful debut novel has won over readers and critics across the world.
Publisher: Oneworld PublicationsISBN: 9781786077042Number of pages: 208Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 16 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'This novel's unflinching portrait of a forgotten tragedy is haunting.'
'Has the simple narrative structure and heightened quality of a fable...lepikas has a vivid vision and lyricism which lifts the prose and ensures it is anything but derivative.'
'This is stunning. Cinematic,powerful... (In the Shadow of Wolves)has an irresistible,emotional pull that is as fascinating as it is brilliant,with a sense of heartbreak rather than trauma.'
'A heartbreaking blend of historical facts and literary prose.'
'A raw and tendertrue tale... It's no wonder that this elegant and intricate debut has garnered itsLithuanian author many awards.'
'Vivid,highly dramatic and compelling... Alvydas lepikas has broken the dam of silence.'
'In the Shadow of Wolves...reminded me in some ways of reading the work of Cormac McCarthy... lepikas imbues barren East Germany and the forests of post-war Lithuania with the dark undertones of a fairytale.'
'This novel finds the perfect balance between documentary and literary narrative.'
'A significant work of memorialisation... lepikas- who is also a scriptwriter and director- injects his writing with a dramatic urgency that seeks to capture the scale of extraordinary suffering.'
'In the Shadow of Wolvesis a gem of Lithuanian literature. It touches a nerve as it tells the story of those who survived an awful fate,who have experienced the most terrible things.'
'The novel portrays the unending suffering of children,themselves innocent of the actions of their fathers,subject to indiscriminate cultural and political prejudice... Examples of kindness only throw into sharp relief the cruelty of social and cultural dislocation.'
'Alvydas lepikas uses direct yet poetic language to write about a period of history that has remained almost entirely buried until now. His concise prose conveys the tragedy of the situation and contains rich details about that time and place.'
'This novel is intriguing,important and innovative - Alvydas lepikas confronts present with past,and cruelty and agony go hand in hand with love and self-sacrifice. His aim was to help young readers understand some of the horrors of war,and he achieves this.'
'This novel differs from other works of its kind; in its narration,and its sensitive,poetic style. Alvydas lepikas paints a beautiful picture of the world through a child's eyes - with the help of fairy tales and dreams,creating a complete contrast to the bitter reality.'
'In the Shadow of Wolvespaints a very realistic,bleak picture of life after the Second World War. The novel is unique in its story,which focuses on the life of Germans and Lithuanians after the war,and because it will not only warm readers'hearts,but will also inspire them to live.'
'Alvydas lepikashas written a sensitive novel that takes us back to a time filled with death,violence,hunger and bitter cold. This novel broke the taboo of silence in Lithuania.'
'Alvydas lepikas uses concise language and fast-paced scenes to portray the children's will to survive,the unimaginable cruelty as well as the help that some of the children received. Highly recommended.'
'In poetic language that is by turns concise and compact,Alvydas lepikas brings justice for his young heroes and victims. Readers can almost smell the cold sweat of the women and girls as they encounter drunken soldiers,feel the deep,penetrating hunger,the biting winter cold,the beatings suffered and handed out by children as they fight for a single morsel of food,and share in their despair and their sheer will to survive.'
'In the Shadow of Wolves is fast-paced,with the children sharing one experience after another. And the reader is always there too,hiding with the children in old railway trains,praying and hoping with them.'
'This story is complex... (and) dramatises the real lives of the "wolf children"of East Prussia.'
'There are many reasons to read this book...an incredible sense that (it) is going to rip your heart out.'
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