The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6
Carol Rifka Brunt's novel, Tell the Wolves I'm Home does not easily fit into the category
of a "summer read." Because the narrator is a fourteen year old many are calling it a coming-of-age story, while others have labeled it a young-adult book. I prefer to describe it as a lesson for the heart.
"My sister, Greta, and I were having our portrait painted by our uncle Finn
that afternoon because he knew he was dying."
The year is 1986, June is losing her best friend and uncle to aids, a scary disease she knows nothing about. Her mother and father are pre-occupied with careers; her sister, Greta, just wants to distance herself from June, her uncle and his embarrassing disease. When Finn dies June feels no one misses him the way she does, until she befriends his boyfriend who is also dying. It is in helping Toby, against her family's wishes, she becomes better acquainted with an uncle who taught her to look at what isn't in a sketch, the negative space, to find the truth and heal.
"The negative space. That's what Finn called it. He was always trying to get me to understand negative space. And I did. I could understand what he was saying, but it didn't come naturally to me. I had to be reminded to look for it. To see the stuff that's there but not there."
Tell the Wolves I'm Home is not about aids, nor is it a statement on lifestyle choices. It is a story of fearless acceptance, unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness. I see it so often in the classroom, it is the youngest who live with open hearts and teach the greatest lessons.
of a "summer read." Because the narrator is a fourteen year old many are calling it a coming-of-age story, while others have labeled it a young-adult book. I prefer to describe it as a lesson for the heart.
"My sister, Greta, and I were having our portrait painted by our uncle Finn
that afternoon because he knew he was dying."
The year is 1986, June is losing her best friend and uncle to aids, a scary disease she knows nothing about. Her mother and father are pre-occupied with careers; her sister, Greta, just wants to distance herself from June, her uncle and his embarrassing disease. When Finn dies June feels no one misses him the way she does, until she befriends his boyfriend who is also dying. It is in helping Toby, against her family's wishes, she becomes better acquainted with an uncle who taught her to look at what isn't in a sketch, the negative space, to find the truth and heal.
"The negative space. That's what Finn called it. He was always trying to get me to understand negative space. And I did. I could understand what he was saying, but it didn't come naturally to me. I had to be reminded to look for it. To see the stuff that's there but not there."
Tell the Wolves I'm Home is not about aids, nor is it a statement on lifestyle choices. It is a story of fearless acceptance, unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness. I see it so often in the classroom, it is the youngest who live with open hearts and teach the greatest lessons.
I've wanted to share this book with you for several weeks. It touched me on so many levels I was afraid I couldn't do justice to this heartbreaking story. And, I am certain I have not.
A light summer read? No.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a book to be savored with the mind and the soul.
It will invade and stay in your heart long after you have closed the covers.
Happy Reading!
I must read this, thank you Bonnie!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of that book, but it sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing it with us! So often, the best books are about more than just their plot, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bonnie, for your recommendation. I am looking at a stack of books to be read and am always happy to add one more. I'm just finishing "The Dry Grass of August" . I believe you recommended it?? Excellent.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Bonnie
I often read young adult books. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteBonnie - this sounds like a great book - I so love to read something with real meaning. Also that negative space speaks to my artist heart. I bet your summer is starting to wind down with school starting soon. I hope you enjoy these last wonderful days of the season. Have a beautiful weekend.
ReplyDelete