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Wolf Boy
by Evan Kuhlman

Wolf Boy Cover

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

On a frosty winter’s day, Francis—the sweet, generous, responsible eldest child of the Harrelson family—dies in a car accident on an ice-covered highway, and Wolf Boy is born.

The earth doesn’t rumble, no angels descend, and the sun doesn’t weep. Nothing, in short, to signify the deep change that each member of the Harrelson household will undergo. Parents Gene and Helen turn away from each other and look inward, losing themselves in private fantasies. Ten-year-old Crispy devises elaborate strategies for her escape from the suffocating clutch of the Harrelson home and into the waiting arms of pop star Marky Mark.

But the heart of this family portrait is younger brother Stephen, who, along with his quirky and creative friend Nicole, crafts an alternative reality in which their comic book hero, Wolf Boy, battles the forces of evil, champions the powers of good, and fights to keep his family intact. Through Wolf Boy, Stephen finds an outlet for his grief and a concrete expression for his place in a family spiraling out of control and for all the natural yearnings and hopes of a typical thirteen-year-old. Wolf Boy’s adventures are featured throughout the book, introducing a graphic-novel subplot that adds humor and visual interest and stretches the limits of the conventional novel.

With warmth, humor, hope, and empathy, Evan Kuhlman’s debut novel is truly unforgettable and signals a fresh new voice in today’s fiction.

Review:

"Gene and Helen Harrelson sleep in separate bedrooms after a car accident in an ice storm kills their oldest child, Francis, a sophomore at the local University of Illinois, Carbondale, while younger siblings Stephen and Crispy struggle to cope with the loss of their mentor. In this dysfunctional family tale, happiness escapes the characters in a 'slow, persistent leak' as Kuhlman wryly dissects seemingly innocent moments, like Stephen's assumption that the stranger on the phone is a telemarketer and not the messenger of his older brother's death. Stephen, more or less at the center of the book, channels his grief into stories for a comic called The Adventures of Wolf Boy, illustrated by his charmingly odd girlfriend, Nicole, and woven beautifully throughout the novel. Wolf Boy lives in Forgotten City and grapples with the death of older brother Johnny Laredo while battling villains and trying to save the world. But while the novel offers inventive twists on the story of a boy trying to save his own world (i.e., his grieving family), Kuhlman can't quite pack everything in, so that the small and subtle opening chapters end up getting inked out. (Apr.) " Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

“Kuhlman draws careful, exacting portraits. . . . [He is] a fine stylist with an excellent eye and ear.” —Kirkus Reviews

Review:

“Rarely is the pain of losing someone expressed with such directness, energy, and, yes, humor. The grief in Evan Kuhlman’s Wolf Boy is palpable and so is the flawed, honest humanity of his characters. Here is real loss and, somehow, real catharsis.” —Peter Orner, author of Esther Stories

Review:

“Kuhlman wryly dissects seemingly innocent moments. . . . The novel offers inventive twists on the story of a boy trying to save his own world.” —Publishers Weekly

Synopsis:

With the humanity and intimacy of Ordinary People and Bee Season, Wolf Boy reinvents a classic narrative archetype to follow a young family coping with staggering loss. The death of Francis, cool older brother and affectionate son, leaves each member of the Harrelson family struggling to make sense of a changed world. Parents Gene and Helen lose themselves in separate fantasies; 10-year-old Crispy envisions herself carried away by pop star Marky Mark; and Francis's fiancee is haunted by his ghost. But the story's central character is Stephen, an imaginative 13-year-old boy who copes with his loss by creating a comic-strip universe; as "Wolf Boy" he manages to find power and pride despite the absence of his real-life hero. The fictional adventures Stephen creates with the help of his quirky and creative girlfriend, Nicole, are featured throughout the book, introducing a graphic-novel subplot that adds both humor and visual interest to this moving tale of hope and redemption.
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About the Author

Evan Kuhlman’s stories have appeared in Glimmer Train, Salt Hill, The Madison Review, Third Coast, and The Vincent Brothers Review. He is the winner of the Short-Story Award for New Writers and several journalism prizes. This is his first novel. He lives in Ohio.

Identical twin illustrators Brendon and Brian Fraim are best known for their clean line style in the Knights of the Dinner Table: Illustrated comic book. Visit them at brosfraim.com.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
greatgrape101, April 6, 2006 (view all comments by greatgrape101)
My friend recommended this novel to me and now I owe her one because once I started reading Wolf Boy I had trouble putting it down. Right at the start you learn there's been a death in the family, which I thought was a vey "honest" approach, but the book doesn't stay somber for too long, and soon I was cheeering for each of the characters, especially 13-year-olf Stephen, the main subject of the book, and his odd girlfriend, Nicole. I loved these people! And I also loved the comics, which you don't expect in book like this but they fit quite well, and added a second level to the story. The only thing I didn't love was the bookjacket, yeah I minor thing I know. The book itself is quite attractive and the story is the best one I've read so far this year. Highly recommended.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780307336965
Author:
Kuhlman, Evan
Publisher:
Random House
Illustrator:
Fraim, Brian
Illustrator:
Fraim, Brendon
Author:
Illustrated by Brendon and Brian Fraim
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Comic books, strips, etc.
Subject:
Teenage boys
Publication Date:
April 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
YES
Pages:
314
Dimensions:
9.54x6.40x1.14 in. 1.48 lbs.
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