Shaun Whiteside

Geoffroy Delorme

Seven Years Living with Deer in the Wild

Deer Man

Rochelle Butcher

The reason I love reading so much is because it takes me to places I’ve never been, shows me experiences I have never had, and opens me up to new ideas. Deer Man by Geoffrey Delorme gave me all of those things.

The author took me on a seven year journey into the woods of Normandy and showed me what it was like to live among Roe Deer. It was a fascinating look into his experiences, living as one with nature, and gaining the trust of the forest animals. The author becomes an expert at plant identification and knows the trails so well he could navigate them with his eyes closed. He communicates with the Roe Deer through barks and even teaches them how to sense danger and escape hunters.

The book is beautifully written and Delorme’s extraordinary photos are scattered throughout the book. I revelled at the author’s descriptions of the woods, and admired his desire to know every part of it. He became one with the flora and fauna and knew how to decipher dangerous plants from nutritious ones. It was quite something to watch unfold in the pages of his memoir. 

What I think was missing from the novel was the author’s decision to exclude personal details from his past in a more detailed way. He stuck more to nature writing and less to personal memoir which was likely the assignment but there was a deep emotional disconnect felt throughout the book when he spoke briefly about his upbringing and family relationships. You feel unease as a reader. It’s like having an elephant in the room that nobody talks about. I felt a deep sadness run through the book. As a reader I could not kick the feeling that there was more to this unusual story and that something was missing. 

The author clearly put down his boundaries on what he would and would not discuss. I can respect that but as a committed and caring reader I felt something was missing and unresolved. I wanted more.

If you love nature writing, and unusual and fascinating stories, you will enjoy Deer Man. Thank you to Greystone Books for the advanced copy.

Publishes on September 27th

Deer Man Seven Years Living with Deer in the Wild

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