Wild Dog: Sinister and savage psychological thriller

JULY 1914 No-one in the valley had ever heard anything like it coming from the hills. A wild, desperate sound. Around midnight the first shrieks rang out through the village, faraway cries that gradually moved closer. Even the old timers could not identify the source of the noise. It was as though some frenzied ritual were taking place up there in the woods, a savage brawl that seemed to be making its way towards them. At first the villagers thought it must be foxes or lynxes, the wild things whose frenzied scuffles could last all night, fighting over captured prey. Or it could have been the distinctive howling of local wolves, who pitch their cries to make the pack sound more fearsome. Previous attempts to keep them at bay by scattering the ground with strychnine had been unsuccessful, so tonight villagers young and old were roused from their beds to bang spoons against their pots and pans in the night air, a tried and tested method of keeping wolves away. At nightfall the woods were taken over by hidden sounds and rustling movements. Under cover of darkness, local animals reclaimed their territory, free from human interference. In the village it was often possible to make out the sounds of unseen beasts hunting, mating or fighting. The night belonged to them, and this night more than any other. 'It almost sounds like-' 'Be quiet!' The hellish chorus was clearly coming from one side of the hill, and as the sound approached the villagers were able to make out a barking sound, savage broken barks that could never have come from a wolf and were too loud for dogs. Only deer were capable of making that kind of noise. It must have been deer that were heard that evening, caught out by the venom of buckthorn berries or driven wild by fear of an unseen predator. But this was the first time their shrieks had torn through the countryside with such demonic fervour. It was no use rattling their crockery now. There was nothing to be done but remind their children that at night

Serge Joncour is a French novelist and screenwriter. He was born in Paris in 1961 and studied philosophy at university before deciding to become a writer. His first novel, Vu, was published by Le Dilettante in 1998. He wrote the screenplay for Sarah's Key starring Kristin Scott Thomas, released in 2011. His 2016 novel Repose-toi sur moi won the Prix Interallié. Wild Dog is the first of his novels to be published in English.

[A] deservedly award-studded delight Strong Words Magazine



'A smart, scathing and bleakly funny cross of folk horror, satire and historical fiction' Toronto Star



'Reads like a modern fairy tale' New York Journal of Books





WINNER OF THE PRIX LANDERNEAU DES LECTEURS 2018

'Wild Dog details a disturbing continuum of savagery, both animal and human. At once eerie and sensual, it's a timely reminder that, no matter how sophisticated we believe ourselves to be, we are no match for nature' The Guardian

'The suspense seeps from each exquisitely crafted sentence, taking the reader into a world replete with complex emotional and moral dilemmas . . . a raw, brutal and magnificent literary experience' European Literature Network

'Whether you are a regular reader or just looking for your 2020 holiday reading I urge you to take a look at Wild Dog. It is a true five star read' Whispering Stories

'Holds the reader in suspense until the very last page' L'Express

'A magnificent allegory for the ways in which the modern world wears us down ... A unique voice' Le Figaro

'A hymn to space and calm' Libération

'Proof of Serge Joncour's immense talent and understanding of human subtleties' Marie Claire

'An ode to nature' Le Point

'Joncour is a magician' Le Temps