Wild Things

Wild Things

Juvenile fiction
The back stories behind published books are sometimes as
interesting as the novels they inspire. Clay Carmichael claims that
Wild Things entered her life on four paws. "A big, wild, mustachioed
black-and-white cat lumbered into my yard and heart and became my
shadow and soul mate for ten extraordinary years," she reveals in her
acknowledgements. "He and I were pals like Lassie and Timmy or Rascal
and Sterling North. Our years together included a genuine miracle,
and maybe I'll get to write that story one day. Until then, I hope
this book begins to thank Mr. C'mere for all he gave me." He must
have been SOME CAT. That's all I can say. Wild Things, told on two
richly integrated levels, is one of the most vibrant, richly nuanced,
novels for young readers I have ever had the great good fortune to
discover.
To start with there's the experience of 11-year-old Zoe, born to
a very psychologically challenged mother who was in and out of mental
hospitals and cycling through a series of loser boyfriends. Her
biological father took off before she was born. In the absence of
reliable adults, she's had to pretty much take care of herself.
Things change when Zoe's mother dies and social services enters
the picture. She is given over to Henry, a half uncle on her father's
side. He's a former doctor turned famous sculptor. Although he's
reclusive and slightly eccentric, he seems to offer what Zoe wants
most in the world. Contrasting his house to the series of decripit
places she's dwelt in before, she finds herself thinking, "I imagined
having my very own room instead of a sleeping bag or a made-up sofa, a
book I could keep longer than two weeks if I wanted, and a grown-up
smarter than I was in the house. I imagined having all that for a
whole minute before I remembered what it felt like to hope for things
I'd never get. I pushed the wanting away as hard as I could."
As Zoe discovers the fascinating individuals who make up her
community it's impossible to not hope that for once she's wrong. Once
is all it would take to change her life forever for the better.
The second perspective is that of a feral cat who hesitantly
starts to trust. Through his narration you learn much of the back
story of the family and community. His pictures, done in black and
white, are quite beguiling.
Oh, yeah, there's an elusive boy and his albino deer who are in
an even more precarious situation than Zoe.
In my mind Wild Things is a must read for perceptive young
readers.
On a personal note, at the University I got the chance to paint a
pumpkin. Wild Things must have been on my mind. I painted a cat face
on the front and a lovely striped tail on the back. I dropped it off
at the Orono Public Library children's wing. Turns out we'll have
pumpkin painting at the children's Halloween party. Louise needed a
sample. Talk about serindipity! I am surely looking forward to that
party. I get to dress like a butterfly and be paparazzi.
A great big shout out goes out to cat lovers...OK dog lovers too.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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