The Beast

A touching yet terrifying story that strikes deep into the soul. Anne Riel knows how to touch the reader's feelings and make them fear, crave answers, and seek solutions that the characters cannot always find on their own. A novel about true friendship, betrayal, bullying, and death; about a boy with a genetic mutation, but also about every person — for anyone can be branded as "different from everyone else."

Leon is an unusual boy.
Like all children, he loves playing on the farm, petting fluffy animals, and hugging his mom. But he does all of this completely differently than others: his tiny hands leave bruises and break bones.
Because of this, Leon has almost no friends.

Only Mirko — the neighbor boy — sees the best in the boy. Perhaps because he loves his mother. He takes almost all responsibility for raising Leon, but controlling the little monster is beyond his strength.
One tragic night turns their whole life upside down. To escape the consequences of their actions and avoid the threat, Mirko and Leon need to run.
But can it ever be safe with such a child nearby?