The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto by Luc Jorgart

The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto by Luc Jorgart
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by: Astilbe

The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto is a gritty, emotionally intense coming-of-age novel that follows Ryuji Nagata, a rebellious teen from the quiet Iki Island, who is uprooted from his home and sent to a boarding school in Kumamoto City. Behind his tough exterior lies a troubled soul; haunted by family trauma, bullying, and a desire for freedom. His father is in prison for vehicular manslaughter, and his mother remains emotionally distant.

At school, Ryuji is quickly targeted by a group of bullies who physically and emotionally torment him. Even attempts to seek help from teachers fail him. His only escape becomes a cabaret bar, Club Avon, where he finds an unlikely guardian in Nana Hirose, the sharp-witted and compassionate bar owner who sees through his pain. But true change doesn’t come until he crosses paths with a member of the Kumamoto Wild Dogs, a feared bosozoku gang.

Change is always possible.

The realistic dialogue made me feel as though I were eavesdropping onto the characters’ conversations. This is something I always appreciate as well-written dialogue can be a great way to get to know the characters on a deeper level. For example, Ryuji wasn’t something who liked talking about his feelings very often, and it showed in his brief responses to many of the questions he was asked. I also thought the conversations with this characters’ mom and grandparents were well worth paying close attention to given how important they were for what happened later on in the storyline.

It would have been helpful to have more plot development in this book. Ryuji grew and changed as a person, but there wasn’t as much time spent exploring the catalysts for his growth as I would have preferred to see. This made it tricky for me to remain invested in his life as I didn’t have a lot of context to help explain why these changes were happening or what the protagonist thought of them.

My favorite portion was the ending due to some intriguing plot twists involving the main character’s future that happened in those last few chapters. While I can’t go into detail into where life would lead him to next, the author’s willingness to take risks here was easy to take note of and is something I think should applauded. There is definitely something to be said for storytellers who remain playful and creative while they’re writing.

The Wild Dogs of Kumamoto was thought provoking.