The remarkable story of a young man's life in the wild From a very young age, Geoffroy Delorme never felt that he fit into human society. On a school swimming excursion a teacher threw him into the water, which proved a catalyst for his decision to turn away from humans. His parents enrolled him in remote learning, so he no longer had to attend school. The forests of Normandy were nearby and he started escaping into them. It was here that he had his first encounters with the local roe deer. His sensitivity and care meant that the deer came to accept him, allowing him to walk behind them. Eventually Geoffroy would come to spend most of his time in the forests and would learn to interact with the deer, following their births and deaths through the seasons, and also sharing many an emotional moment. Deer Man chronicles a seven year period of living with deer in the forest. Delorme's narrative of that time mixes the idyllic – descriptions of close friendship with the animals and the beauties of the forest – with the harsh realities of nature: cold, exhaustion and hunger. Written in stunningly beautiful prose, this is a book that has much to teach us. Deer Man: Seven Years of Living in the Forest, by Geoffroy Delorme. Published by Little, Brown $36 Review by Chris Saliba Comments are closed.
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