Name: Tell the Wolves I'm Home
Rating: 4.049107142857143 (112 reviews)
ISBN: 9781470833466

Carol Rifka Brunt

Amy Rubinate

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

It is 1987, and only one person has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus -- 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.

a novel

Tell the wolves I'm home

I love when a recommendation from a random place turns out to be possibly the best book you have read during the year. Because wow, I cannot believe the hold this book had on me. It was nearly impossible for me to put it down.

Compelling and emotionally devastating story under deseptively simple and straightforward writing. It is hard to believe this is the author's debut - the prose is polished and confident, always in their control. I cannot sing its praises enough.

Also to note, I understand that I have a little different reading of June's feelings towards Finn. Personally, when the novel calls it love and being in love, I understand it as falling within that space in adolescence where all affection is convoluted. That is to say, I do not really take it as a romantic or incestious feeling. Finn was simply the most important person in her life, her quasi-infatuation with him and her obsession with him also leading to idolation. My reading of it was as a much more complex feeling than what the discourse seems to focus on. Maybe that is why this did not get in the way of my enjoying and loving the novel so much.

I love when a recommendation from a random place turns out to be possibly the best book you have read during the year. Because wow, I cannot believe the hold this book had on me. It was nearly impossible for me to put it down.

Compelling and emotionally devastating story under deseptively simple and straightforward writing. It is hard to believe this is the author's debut - the prose is polished and confident, always in their control. I cannot sing its praises enough.

Also to note, I understand that I have a little different reading of June's feelings towards Finn. Personally, when the novel calls it love and being in love, I understand it as falling within that space in adolescence where all affection is convoluted. That is to say, I do not really take it as a romantic or incestious feeling. Finn was simply the most important person in her life, her quasi-infatuation with him and her obsession with him also leading to idolation. My reading of it was as a much more complex feeling than what the discourse seems to focus on. Maybe that is why this did not get in the way of my enjoying and loving the novel so much.

Jeannette Ordas

I really enjoyed the sister story in this book and wished it was a little more developed. 3.5 stars but nudged up to 4 stars because tears.

Arturo Hernández

This novel narrates the life of a teenager who goes through the death of her uncle due to AIDS, as well as the consequences of a lot of his choices on her family. It’s situated on the US 80’s and it gives a lot of context as to how was it for society to understand and accept other communities at that time. At a little over 300 pages it’s really an easy read that takes advantage of the coming of age story it presents to connect with the audience, talk about sisterhood and family issues. If anything I just wish the spotlight was bigger on Finn’s and Toby’s relationship, though I appreciate the approach the author took with the sisters’ storyline.

Janice Hopper

Maybe I'm too old to appreciate this book. O.o

It reads to me like an object lesson in how not to be honest with yourself and other people. There is SO LITTLE COMMUNICATION between people in this book. I really got kinda frustrated with it, especially as it got close to the end. A lot of the problems could have been resolved much more easily if people just talked to each other here.

So, alas, only 3 stars. And disappointment for me.

Elizabeth Moore

I loved this book. If I ever am to write one, this is the kind of story I hope I’ll tell. I had no idea it was going to, but this book just broke open my heart so gently, and made me never want to finish reading it. The way life is described, the way hearts are described, they way that so much value is given to small little lives until you realize you were foolish for thinking they were little at all. I absolutely loved it and am amazed by how this writer worked so much heart and world and expansion into such a small domestic world. I loved every single aspect of how this thing was written and it’s one of a tiny, tiny treasure trove of stories I’d be happy to read on repeat for the rest of my life.

Melanie Richards

4.5 stars. The repetitive passages about love for Finn felt a bit hollow to me (maybe I just had trouble relating), but Finn was less a character in himself and more a device to bring out the lovely and complicated dynamics between the rest of the characters. The relationship between sisters, to me, was the most realistic and by that token, meaningful. The ending, however, does an elegant job of tying all these various relationships together. Well done.

Robin M Cabana

I'm a few years younger than Carol Rifka Brunt's character June - so my memories of the 80s are very different. I wasn't really aware of AIDS in 1987 and I take for granted that we've come so far in terms of acceptance and understanding.

I really related to June in many ways - I never felt like I fit in either. I did question why her parents didn't notice their phone bill - but I guess they were busy people and didn't really see what June or their other daughter, Greta, were up to at all. The strained relationships and things that went unsaid made me sad. There are lots of bittersweet moments in this book, but it really is a great story about family and friendship.

I also like books set in places where I've been, and aside from NYC, most of the book takes place in Westchester County, where I worked for years.

Kelsi Proulx

This book was great. One of the first books I have read in quite a while that really made me think. Its a story of growing up and learning what love is. About how we never truly know who someone is even if we love them and think we know everything about them. About judgement and how dangerous it is. I definitely recommend this one.

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 once inseparable older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company; he is her godfather, confident, and best friend. So when he dies far too young of a mysterious illness that June’s mother can barely bring herself to discuss, June's world is turned upside down. At the funeral, she notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd, and a few days later, June 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. A the two begin to spend time together, June realises she's not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he might just be the one she needs the most. 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.

Summer Stanley

This was a solid 4 star book the whole time, but the ending - holy cow. Incredible. 

June and Toby are amazing. Greta’s development added so much depth to everyone’s else characters. The family dynamics felt honest and real. 
I loved this.

Gorgeous. Definitely one of my favorites.

Laura

I didn't think I would like this book. And I admit, it took me awhile to get into. I wasn't crazy about the main character, June, since she seemed kind of like your typical precocious child character (despite being like 14). 

And then, when I was roughly like 50 pages in, Toby made his entrance. And the book started to improve dramatically. I kind of fell in love (though not romantically, if that makes sense) with Toby. He was so sweet and earnest and he cared so much about trying to make things work with June because Finn loved June and he loved Finn, and I just found him such an endearing character. Around this time, too, I found myself warming up to all of the characters, and fascinated by this family drama unfolding. The relationship between Greta and June, between Finn and Dani, and especially between Finn and Toby, as well as Finn and June. I also liked how real June's family felt. June and her sister had a believable relationship, and I loved how both June's parents (especially her father- fathers too often get villainized for no reason in YA works) also seemed like they genuinely were trying to be the best parents they could to their children. 

The actual subject matter also intrigued me. I've always held a fascination- I suppose you could call it that- with gay culture, especially in the 20th century and especially in the 80s and 90s. And the AIDS epidemic is something that couldn't have been ignored during that time. I believe that that disease is the reason the Gay Rights Movement made little progress until 2000s. During the 70s, the movement was picking up and gaining tons of support, and there were many celebrities who, while they still couldn't really be out and proud, were a lot more open about their homosexuality as they had been in decades past, and for many it was basically an open secret- I'm talking Truman Capote, Halston, Andy Warhol, etc. And then AIDS showed up and the public freaked out and because it began in the gay community (and there it claimed the majority of its victims) gay men were basically blamed for the disease. And, before I get angry comments, I'm not saying that all gay men have AIDS or that they're to blame or that only they can get AIDS. I'm merely stating facts about a conception that was commonly held during the time period. I could go on, but the point is that it was a horrific disease. My mother worked at an ER in a nearby major city and has so many stories to tell about drug addicted prostitutes with AIDS or other colorful characters showed up over the night shift, and remembers the strict protocols put in place about things like nosebleeds, something that used to be an easy fix but because of AIDS became a hell of a lot more dangerous-seeming than they ever were before. 

I could go on and on, but the point is, I think the reason why I latched onto that particular era in gay history is because of the tragedy surrounding it. I am attracted to tragedy in history; it's far more interesting than periods of prosperity. This all comes back to Tell the Wolves I'm Home because if there's one complaint I have, it's that Brunt seemed to have sugarcoated this disease. Even the parts at the end weren't really as horrible as AIDS really was- the disease basically attacked everything in your body. Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying this book. But other than that, the pain that surrounded this disease felt so real to me that I was surprised that the author had no personal connection to the disease, no friends or relatives (perhaps a brother) that died from it. Frankly, that's talent. I've read books by authors who have close connections to things like cancer or what have you and they still can't quite master the emotions surrounding these illnesses. Also, I liked how Brunt didn't use HIV and AIDS interchangeably. 

Continue reading this review on my blog here: http://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/20...

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

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