A gift for creating compelling outsiders resonates throughout Christopher Wilson’s , such as Mischief, The Ballad of Lee Cotton and Blueglass. His latest, The Zoo, is narrated by 12-year-old Yuri, who is left brain-damaged after a road accident. In a first-person voice reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, we learn of Yuri’s life in 1950s Moscow, where his father (mother is absent) is a veterinarian at the city zoo. When the latter is bizarrely ordered to attend a very human (and very important patient), things take a perilous turn for the guileless boy, who finds himself central to the tumultuous power struggles of Stalin’s last days. Engrossing and very moving.

• The Zoo by Christopher Wilson is published by Faber (£12.99). To order a copy for £11.04 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99