Tell the Wolves I’m Home grabbed me from the beginning and pulled me through all 350 pages. It was the perfect combination of great writing, a compelling story, and nostalgia.
The book is published for the adult market, but apparently has done crossover marketing with the YA market. That makes total sense to me, because the main character is 14-year-old June Marks, yet the nostalgia (and adult market fit) comes in because it’s set in 1987, and even though it’s written from June’s perspective, it feels more like an adult looking back on that time.
June and her older sister Greta have been going to their Uncle Finn’s house once a week for several months so that he could do a portrait of them. He’s a famous painter, but hasn’t been doing much commercially lately. He’s June’s godfather, so they’ve always had a special relationship that Greta resents. Finn is doing a portrait now because he’s dying, and he wants to spend as much time with his family as he can, while also leaving behind something wonderful.
He’s dying of AIDS, and in 1987 the world of AIDS was much different place than it is now. After he dies, June begins getting notes and packages containing some of Finn’s special possessions. She ends up befriending the man who her mom and sister claim “killed” Finn. Toby and June develop a special and clandestine friendship, and through it, they are able to help each other grieve the loss of Finn. Through this time, June also comes to understand herself and her family, specifically her sister, better, which makes it a perfect coming-of-age novel.
I highly recommend Tell the Wolves I’m Home, a debut novel by author Carol Rifka Brunt.
Jennifer’s memories of the early years of AIDS consist mostly of the made-for-TV Ryan White movie, and high school health classes. However, she rarely fails to connect with a good coming-of-age story. She blogs at Snapshot.
Very interesting! I’ll definitely be checking this one out.