The Wolf Boy

A gripping, new coming-of-age novel about Hannibal of Carthage and his servant, an orphaned boy caught in a time of endless war

For over forty years, I have been studying men’s lives— our love for and fear of women and the feminine, our attraction to war and the thrill of battle, our desire for family set against our yearning for the hero’s quest. Most centrally, I’ve been interested in the poignant relationship between fathers and sons. I am an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the Fielding Graduate University and have taught at Harvard University, MIT, and the University of Massachusetts. I maintain a private practice of psychotherapy and consult to schools as a faculty member of the Stanley King Institute.

After a series of nonfiction books, over a decade ago I turned to fiction as way to explore these themes about men’s lives. My second novel, The Wolf Boy, is both a coming-of- age story and a military adventure novel. The Wolf Boy brings to life all the drama of the second Punic war between Rome and Carthage, a pivotal moment in the history of the West, as well as the deeply personal stories of two people —a great General and an orphaned boy-- trying to find meaningful, reflective lives while caught up in chaotic times beyond their control.

The story of Hannibal’s heroic efforts to redeem his father’s legacy and secure the future of his doomed city has fascinated me since high school when I first came across a book in my town library about the Alps, elephants, and an extraordinary army leader rolling the dice in a most unexpected way. I’m still fascinated by the story and I’ve spent time in Tunisia, site of the ancient city of Carthage, and visited parts of what may have been Hannibal’s route crossing the Alps.

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Praise for The Wolf Boy

“A supreme master of his craft, Osherson is equally and brilliantly at home on the battlefield and in the recesses of his characters’ minds. The Wolf Boy is a deep, spellbinding and timeless look into the horrors and futility of war, the wonders of friendship and love, the redeeming power of the written word—and the forging of the self in their midst. Osherson has an unparalleled grasp of the male psyche, and The Wolf Boy is a profound meditation on the meaning of manhood and the perilous path on which it is occasionally achieved.”

— Dr. Sandford Drob, Author

“I loved this story of the ‘grey-eyed’ Carthaginian Hannibal and his young wolf-boy. By imagining the epic adventure of the great man through the eyes of his faithful servant, the novel captures a sense of the enormous successes and failures of Hannibal’s legendary journey across the Alps and his great battles in Italy. All the while bringing the real story, the spirit of the places, the time and the people to the fore. A pleasure to read.”

— Eve MacDonald, Author of Hannibal: The Life And The Legend