Title: Wolf Alice
Author: Angela Carter
In: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories (Angela Carter)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Dark fantasy, Werewolves
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 1979
5th sentence, 74th page: She grew up with wild beasts.

A feral child, whom some nuns have attempted to “civilize” by trying to teach her standard social graces, is left in the house of a monstrous, vampiric Duke when she cannot conform. She gradually comes to realise her own identity as a young woman and human being, and even develops compassion for the Duke, going far beyond the nuns’ stunted views of life.

Sometimes we just can’t conform to others’ beliefs of “normal”. But, that’s not always a bad thing, it’s just something that happens. And, in the case of this short story – that non-conformity led to a young, feral girl child being abandoned to an older, vampiric gentleman. What a way to punish someone for not doing as you expect them to! And, you know, there’s a lot of symbolism in the fact that the young, untrained girl is literally given away to an older man. One that is a blood-sucker to be more precise.

This was a great way to finish The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories – it is vivid, descriptive and just as wickedly twisted as the rest of the stories in this collection.

Image source: Goodreads