The Belly of a Wolf
Julianne Negri
How can you grow up with grief pulling you down?
Red is going back to high school six months after the death of her best friend Wolf. Their friendship began on the first day of Prep, when they were cast as Little Red and Wolf in the school play; ever after their lives were entwined as two halves of the same story. Red is defined by Wolf in life and in death.
As Red tries to move on with her life, she is forever pulled back by memories of Wolf and her guilt about not knowing Wolf planned to die. Red becomes increasingly self-destructive and questions: can you ever recast who you are in a story?
The Belly of a Wolf is a moving verse novel exploring the devastating impact of youth suicide. Unflinching, emotional and darkly funny.
Praise
“Julianne Negri has chewed away at the experience of losing a best friend to suicide until all that remains is the gleaming, honest truth.” Pip Smith
“I loved this book. I devoured it. It sucked me under. I felt what it is to be a grieving, messy teenager.” Nova Weetman
"The Belly of a Wolf is an astonishing novel for readers aged 14 and over who have lost someone they love, who have ever felt alone in the world or who have found comfort in creative practice." Danielle Bagnato, Books + Publishing
"Julianne Negri’s devastating young-adult novel explores the intersection between grief and guilt as it follows Red’s return to school after the death of her best friend by suicide." Sunday Life, Sun Herald
"[Told] in supremely accessible verse using the classic fairy tale as a metaphor... The writing in this book for teens is exquisite - searing, delicate and visceral by turns - documenting the past while fumbling for a future... Inspired by a friend's suicide and originally modelled on Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt, this stunning reiteration uses the more shocking metaphor of the Grimm brothers' version of Little Red Riding Hood, which ends with the Woodcutter's gruesome sewing up of rocks inside the wolf's belly to replace the released girl. A cliffhanger to the last line." Ann Packer, The Listener NZ
"To write about [suicide], prose can often seem inadequate. Negri has chosen to write a verse novel. This can be challenging but Negri’s writing is assured and the rewards are great. Sometimes achingly sad, and occasionally surprisingly funny, Negri doesn’t shy away from the difficulty of examining life after someone else’s death: how could someone miss the signs that their friend was contemplating suicide? The Belly of a Wolf is an emotion-charged, beautifully written novel.” ★★★★★ Good reading
"Based on a true story, award winning author Julianne Negri has created a narrative in verse, which sensitively explores the feeling and life of the remaining friend in the aftermath of this devastating suicide. I highly recommend this beautifully written novel, in which the author uses vivid imagery to allow the reader to embrace the characters of Red and Wolf and to share their joys and disappointments. It also perceptively explores Red’s feelings of sadness and guilt, as she questions herself about what she could have done and what she missed; an ideal classroom text for exploring the impact of juvenile suicide” Nan Van Dissel, Blue Wolf Reviews
Book details
PRICE: $ 24.99 incl GST
FORMAT: paperback, 210x135mm
ISBN: 978-1-76080-320-9
CATEGORY: Children's and YA, poetry
RIGHTS: World
PUBLICATION DATE: 1 March 2026