Kamo's Escape

It is good to see Pennac's distinctive novels available in the UK. Eye of the Wolf was published last year and while Kamo's Escape explores similar themes it will be accessible to a wider readership. Kamo is spending Summer with his best friend, the book's anonymous narrator, while his mother, half Greek, half Georgian, explores Eastern Europe for their 'roots'. The holiday is shockingly interrupted when an accident puts Kamo in a coma. While he hovers between life and death, Kamo begins his escape - a dream journey in which he breaks out of a Siberian labour camp to track across the frozen steppes. The journey is described only in hints - names and clues dropped by Kamo - yet it is vividly real, culminating in a gripping duel of stamina and will between man and wolf. It comes as no surprise to discover that the journey mirrors his grandfather's life - and indeed that his grandfather was killed in an identical accident - but this is a mesmerising story, full of fascinating ideas and characters.