When I Was A Wolf

Jasmine’s mum is ill. The reader is not told the name of the illness but, by the symptoms which are described as lethargy and apathy, it could be depression.

Jasmine’s gran moves in to look after Jasmine and arranges for her to go to an art club. Jasmine initially doesn’t want to go and would rather stay with her grandmother and mum. But she does go and, over several weeks, makes a wolf skeleton puppet for the town’s annual winter parade. Through the creative process, Jasmine, who has been feeling down because of her home situation, starts to feel better.

Will Jasmine’s mum recover and will the parade go off without a hitch? Flanagan’s short novel deals with two main themes: the power of using the creative process in whatever form to deal with negative emotions, and to show readers that anger can flare at any time, but it can be controlled.

Although this plot line could benefit from a longer novel with more detailed and nuanced discussion of each theme, Flanagan has managed to include a great deal in an accessible form for all readers and should be commended.