Malin and the Wolf Children

"The war is over, but the flood of hatred continues..."It is just after the second world war, the Russian forces victorious and rampant, the German people, farmers, villagers, innocents, fodder for a brutal revenge as they sweep through the country. Settlements destroyed, Men, women and children slaughtered, women raped before being put to the sword, the children told by their parents to run, run for your lives, into the deep, extensive and impenetrable, East Prussian forests, just as a ferocious winter draws in...the wolf children, and they have to survive, the girls especially to hideaway, the risk of rape, then capture and sent back to Russian orphanages, whatever fate that would bring. The opening few pages we see the young Malin, recovering after being brutally raped and beaten by a squad of soldiers, left for dead; a most disturbing and graphic scene - but this girl has something inspirational; she has an imagination fed by folklore from the elders of her now dead family. The book is about how one disaster after another is dealt with by this imagination that gives Malin the strength to go on, to survive, in order to be a witness of events that are too horrible to believe, so that they may never be repeated. I found this very well written book uplifting spiritually. I was drawn into the world of the wolf children, worried with Malin, who to trust, shared feeling the need to give up and succumb to the hunger and cold, and the rescue of the innocent imagination, enabling a form of denial of the circumstances in which she finds herself. The wolf children themselves, not all they seem to be, each with their own grievous hurt and drive, be it love or revenge, it amounts to the same thing sometimes - survival, to be a witness. I loved this book because of the emotions it stirred in me. I also read Hexe by Skadi Winter, and that was equally insightful and moving, and I wholeheartedly recommend both books, the author has a wonderful insight into the minds of children in adversity.

[[ASIN:1496999851 Malin and the Wolf Children] written by Skadi Winters is a story about a young German girl, Malin, who must survive alone in war-ravaged Germany and Poland in 1945. Malin’s odyssey begins with her escape to the woods after she is brutally raped by enemy soldiers. In her journey into warfare’s darkness, she must find the resilience to survive in dead winter against all odds that advancing troops might harm her again. Determined to find her family, Malin garners strength to overcome the obstacles she faces by embracing fond memories of her childhood and tales told by her Grandmother about ancient gods and goddesses of the forest. Along the way she meets other orphaned children scavenging for food and shelter like a pack of wolves. To survive, she must accept help from strangers who may be as evil as the vengeful soldiers stomping through the countryside. Ultimately, this is a thought-provoking story about Malin finding hope that life can renew from destruction and that kindness can overcome the cruelty of revenge. She is a witness to the horrors of war, but she chooses not to lose her soul as a result of it. I highly recommend this beautifully written book that reminds me of an ancient legend where heroes/heroines transform during their epic journey.

My Review of MALIN AND THE WOLF CHILDRENThis is one of the most beautiful, yet painful, books I have ever read. To say that I was totally engrossed in the storyline is an understatement. The wolf children who are left to fend for themselves after the war will break your heart, and the only way one in particular, Malin, can come to grips with the tragedy that ravaged both her land and her people is to survive as witness to the atrocities committed against animals, children and Mother Nature. In her quest to get to Ruegen, where she has a slim chance of reuniting with some of her family, Malin meets both friend and foe, but as the story unfolds, it becomes more and more murky as to whom is ally or foe. Moreover, strangely enough, the wolves themselves (as in, the actual animals) play a part in saving Malin's life, and Goddesses and Gods of the Old Ways perhaps play a part in an almost magical realism kind of way. And, against the odds, Malin admirably feels some hope and even love throughout the telling with an almost promise-of-brighter-future-days outlook, in a what I'd call 'zeit fur neues' optimism. Highly recommended!

I wholeheartedly enjoyed this poignant story. Very well written with strongly believable characters. Couldn't put it down. Congratulations, Skadi!