The Hunter and the Wild Girl is set in the Languedoc in France. Listed by both the CBC and the National Post as one of the Best Books of 2015, it has been shortlisted for the BC Book Prizes Ethel Wilson Award for fiction and is the 2016 winner of the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize.
“A turbulent, headlong, exhilarating rush will sweep you into this fairy tale of a lost girl breaching the self-exile of a haunted man — a hunter who cannot hunt, who is both ogre and hero. In exquisitely beautiful prose, with echoes from both Charles Perrault and Gormenghast, Holdstock spins austere enchantment.” — Marina Endicott, author of Close to Hugh
“What a gorgeous, heart-breaking story! The Hunter and the Wild Girl is both courageous and risky, and it works so beautifully — there are breathtaking moments of grace — simple observations that turnsuddenly and quietly exquisite. It takes Holdstock a few lines to draw readers in with her Wild Girl and just a few pages to make them love her.”— Thomas Trofimuk, author of Waiting for Columbus
The Hunter and the Wild Girl unfolds like a dark and wonderful fairy tale. A remarkable, engrossing story with not a word out of place. — Charlotte Gill, author of Eating Dirt and Ladykiller
“The Hunter and the Wild Girl is powerful, almost elemental storytelling, an achievement not only of craft but of raw emotion. It pulses with vitality, building to a stunning, shattering conclusion. ” — Robert Weirsema The Vancouver Sun
“Holdstock’s 19th-century story of connection between this odd pairing of psychological isolates hints at great depth beneath the surface. Resonant and troubling, like all good fairy tales.” The Globe and Mail
“a thorough examination of what, exactly, it means to be a person — a question more daunting than any human antagonist, and one Holdstock raises gradually, with great skill and a light touch” The National Post
“”This book is magical. It’s a fairy tale, it’s magic realism, it’s a beautiful story about grief and freedom. ” The Winnipeg Review
“If you haven’t read any of Holdstock’s novels, begin here and work your way back. Some writers are indeed worth the effort.” Owen Sound Sun Times
“one of CBC’s 15 must-reads for this autumn. It is wondrous. Buried in Print
“Holdstock’s tale is far from ordinary, fathoms-deep, and moving.” The Cascade
“In Pauline Holdstock’s unwavering grip, The Hunter and the Wild Girl is extremely readable, thought provoking and engaging. It’s for each individual reader to decide why the story resonates as unforgettable fiction.” Cherie Thiessen BC Booklook
“Possibly the most arresting aspect of the novel, apart from the exquisite sense of place, is Holdstock’s implied invitation to consider the essence of a human being. Freedom and connection are essential, the novel suggests, and the bonds that hold us together can also destroy us..” Candace Fertile Quill & Quire