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Tell the Wolves I'm Home

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don't know you've lost someone until you've found them.

1987. There's only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that's her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June's world is turned upside down. But Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into June's life—someone who will help her to heal and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn's funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn's apartment and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she's not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Amy Rubinate's subdued performance keeps the focus on Brunt's nuanced prose in this story about June, a teenager who is grief stricken in the mid-1980s after her uncle, an artist, dies of AIDS. Rubinate captures June's hesitation and confusion when she's contacted by Toby, her uncle's life partner--a man she hadn't known existed. As she gets to know Toby, she begins to see herself and her family in an entirely new light. Rubinate conveys emotion without overacting and uses light touches to distinguish between characters, for example, giving Toby a mild British accent and June's sister a crisp voice. An honest and powerful coming-of-age story. A.F. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 2, 2012
      In Brunt’s sentimental debut novel, 15-year-old June must come to terms with the death of her beloved uncle Finn, an artist, from AIDS in 1980s New York. As she struggles with his death and her own grief, June secretly befriends her uncle’s mysterious lover, Toby, blamed by her parents for Finn’s death. What begins as a wary relationship between former rivals for Finn’s affection blossoms touchingly. Though June gradually uncovers the conflicts between her mother and uncle, she faces adolescent problems as well (sibling rivalry, boys, parties). A wrenching climax finds June’s family threatening to uncover her secret relationship with the ailing Toby. Though Brunt’s approach to AIDS and homosexuality is bold, her novel is mostly an extended meditation on “all the meanness that could come out of loving someone too much.” The plot is never dull, and the convincing emotional climaxes, while overwrought, are appropriate for a narrator of June’s age. Though the book has young adult–novel qualities, with moral conflicts that resolve themselves too easily and characters nursing hearts of gold, there’s enough ambiguity and subtlety to interest a wider audience. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:720
  • Text Difficulty:3

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