The Wolf Border
Summary:
From the award-winning author of The Electric Michelangelo, one of the most decorated young British writers working today, comes a literary masterpiece: a breathtaking work that beautifully and provocatively surveys the frontiers of the human spirit and our animal drives.
For almost a decade, zoologist Rachel Caine has lived a solitary existence far from her estranged family in England, monitoring wolves in a remote section of Idaho as part of a wildlife recovery program. But a surprising phone call takes her back to the peat and wet light of the Lake District where she grew up. The eccentric Earl of Annerdale has a controversial scheme to reintroduce the Grey Wolf to the English countryside, and he wants Rachel to spearhead the project. Though she's skeptical, the earl's lands are close to the village where she grew up, and where her aging mother now lives.
While the earl's plan harks back to an ancient idyll of untamed British wilderness, Rachel must contend with modern-day realities--health and safety issues, public anger and fear, cynical political interests. But the return of the Grey unexpectedly sparks her own regeneration.
Exploring the fundamental nature of wilderness and wildness, The Wolf Border illuminates both our animal nature and humanity: sex, love, conflict, and the desire to find answers to the question of our existence--the emotions, desires, and needs that rule our lives. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of TLC Book Tours.
Review:
I have always been fascinated with wolves so giving this book a try was a no-brainer. Also, did you see how pretty the water colors are on the cover?? PRETTTYYYYY. Reading this book was a journey. It’s been a while that I read a pure fiction book that had a sedate pace where I felt like I was living and growing with the narrator. The thing that I admired most about her is that she’s unapologetically herself. She doesn’t try to constrain herself into someone else’s model of what is “reasonable”, but rather does what she thinks is best. In a way, it reminds you of what is most important with her minimalistic living.
This book definitely wrings you heart in many ways. The challenges of family relationships, mother/child relationships and human/animal relationships all weave together in a way that doesn’t make a judgement, but helps us see how we are all connected. I particularly enjoyed how the end of the book wrapped up!
Warning: Contains some violence and some sexual content
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Folks who enjoy environmentalism, new and future parents.