The Savage by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean

isbn: 9780763639327

This book was beautiful, short and powerful. The story is told by Blue, who, being told to write down his feelings about his father's death, writes the story of the Savage instead, a boy who lives in a cave under an abandoned church and who kills anyone who sees him. The narrative is written a few years later, when his spelling has improved. The mistakes in the original story add to the roughness of the illustrations and of the story. It is absolutely dark but in the end redeeming. It was a bit short, but perhaps packs more of a punch that way.

4/5