“Ranging through coming­-of­-age stories, which I read to my son, I find so many orphan stories. They’re not just kids who lost their parents, they’re kids who never had any. Why are there so many of these stories? The pundits say it’s because orphans are free to create themselves, to grow up independent or stay forever Peter Pan.

Orphans … attract trouble and luck and magic. Without parents to protect you, enforce order and inflict grown­up priorities … orphans are free to run wild and live large and daring lives.
— Katherine Rundell

“This is not right. The orphan story is not just a dramatic backdrop, it’s our childhood. The orphan story is not so much a genre as a reality. Why are people so culturally blind to not see this? …”

Read more at: Hunting for Family