Tell the Wolves I’m Home
Carol Rifka Brunt
June 2012
368 pages
********************
This will go down as one of my favorites for the year. Seriously. Even if it did make me cry.
June Elbus adores her Uncle Finn. They share a special relationship…a love for art, and music. No one quite gets the awkward 14 year old who would rather spend her time in the forest dreaming of being a falconer. Except for Finn. He is her refuge from an increasingly distant and difficult older sister, and her only friend.
So when Finn dies of an illness people would rather not talk about (this is the 1980s, and Finn had AIDS), June is devastated. But then she learns that Finn had another special friend, and now he’d like to be her friend, too (this is not as creepy as it sounds). Except to the rest of the family, Toby is Finn’s killer…the man who gave him AIDS, the guy they’d rather pretend never existed. June can’t quite decide whether to hate Toby (because Finn loved him, too), or to love him (because Finn loved him, too).
Rifka Brunt explores the prejudices that were so prevalent in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, as well as family dynamics, sibling rivalry, jealousy, teenage awkwardness and drama, and a whole lotta other stuff. This is a beautifully told story that made me cheer for June and Toby.
Just keep a tissue handy if you read it.
Oh man, I don’t know if I can handle an emotional book like that right now.
bermudaonion(Kathy)´s last [type] ..Wondrous Words Wednesday
I just got this and read the first paragraph and was hooked. But sadly, I have to finish some other reading for book club first.
Amy´s last [type] ..The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Sounds right up my alley, well worth a few tears. Looks like quite a few people at my library had the same idea, though–it’ll be a few months before I can pick it up, unless I buy a copy!
Ali (Worducopia)´s last [type] ..Silas Marner (George Elliot)
Okie dokie. onto the tbr it goes.
Care´s last [type] ..A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
I loved it and hope to get to my review this weekend (will be one of my favorites as well).
Diane@BibliophilebytheSea´s last [type] ..First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros
Yikes…an emotional roller coaster ride…adding it to the list…:p
Patti Smith´s last [type] ..TLC Book Tour Review – And When She Was Good
I know! Such a great book, right?!? Even though I have hardly had time to read this year (I keep seeing books on my horizon, but never manage to get there… right now Japan is way too busy for reading, especially as I try to catch up on writing posts for the blog!), I am so happy I read this one and know that even if I read hundreds of books, it would still be at the top. And it made me cry too!
Steph´s last [type] ..Remember when I used to write book reviews?
Oh this sounds really good. (Even if I did get thrown off by the post title and thought you were returning from vacation.)
Jenners´s last [type] ..To My Dad on the Third Anniversary of His Death
Love the title especially! I mean the book itself sounds amazing, and I will definitely make sure to read it with a box of tissues, but this is a darn good title. I love authors who can come up with good titles.
Jenny´s last [type] ..It’s too hard to say au revoir, so let’s just say hors d’oeuvres
I have this on my wish list, so I am glad to hear some thoughts on it. It does sound good… Sad, but good!
Kailana´s last [type] ..Where in the World are you Reading? – Library
A friend at work just told me about this one last night! I had never heard of it before then. She told me that I absolutely MUST read this one but get a box of tissues first :p Sounds like after reading your review, she was right!
Chris´s last [type] ..Horns by Joe Hill
Oh, this one sounds crazy sad, but also really beautiful, in it’s own way. I would love to read this book, even if it made me cry. It sounds like a story worth reading!
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Sounds like a pretty powerful & emotional book. The prejudices, the fear of saying what Finn died of, and the poor kid caught in the middle with no one to talk to. I’ll put it on my list.
Beth F´s last [type] ..Weekend Cooking: The Truck Food Cookbook by John T. Edge
Wow, this sounds fantastic. If it can make you cry, I’m sure I’ll be sobbing, too. Maybe I should wait until I get over the emotional exhaustion of A Monster Calls…
Aarti´s last [type] ..[TSS] Introducing: A More Diverse Universe Blog Tour
I’m ususally against books that make me cry but I think I’ll have to add this one to my wish list. What a compelling story.
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I wish I read your tissues comment before I started reading. I’ve been on the brink for so long.
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