Tell the Wolves I'm Home in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

May 19, 2014 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: coming-of-age, book-club, 20th-century, literary-fiction, debut, new-york, relationships, sisters, art, concierge

The only person who has ever really understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her Uncle Finn, a famous painter who is also her godfather, confidant and best friend. With him, she always feels safe and important. So when he dies of AIDS and her mother withdraws into silence, June feels completely lost. Her sister, Greta, has grown increasingly distant over the last several months, her parents, both accountants, are caught up in tax season, and she hasn’t any friends at school. But there is someo The only person who has ever really understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her Uncle Finn, a famous painter who is also her godfather, confidant and best friend. With him, she always feels safe and important. So when he dies of AIDS and her mother withdraws into silence, June feels completely lost. Her sister, Greta, has grown increasingly distant over the last several months, her parents, both accountants, are caught up in tax season, and she hasn’t any friends at school. But there is someone who understands how devastating Finn’s death has been for June. A few days after Finn’s funeral June receives a package – the beautiful Russian teapot Finn always used. Inside the pot is a note from Toby, a man who knew Finn and misses him, too.

This is an emotional coming-of-age story, set in 1987 when a diagnosis of AIDS was a certain death sentence, and many people responded with fear and cruelty against those afflicted and their families. I liked the very personal story of one family’s response to this issue, and particularly how Brunt used an innocent child to concentrate on the love and admiration for the person, rather than the disease that killed him. June is a remarkable young protagonist. She is sensitive and caring, but lacks confidence and feels alone due to her “differentness” and feelings that no one understands her. Her youth and lack of maturity lead her to make some startling naïve decisions, and her inability (and inexperience) in reading people’s motives contributes to her confusion and distress. Ultimately, however, she shows great courage and great love.

I was in tears towards the end – something that rarely happens to me. And I really liked the final resolution of the story. I thought Brunt did a good job of recreating that near-hysteria of the time, but I was disturbed by the amount of freedom June and Greta had, and the total lack of supervision their parents exercised over them. How they got away with all they got away with is astounding to me. I was also conflicted about Toby, his motivations, and behavior. He is an adult, and while he has his own vulnerabilities, I have a hard time looking away or excusing him.

However, the emotional impact of the story completely carried me away, and it’s on the strength of that reaction that I give it 5 stars.
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Jul 17, 2024 Olivermagnus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fiction, 2024, x7, zjuly-2024

Tell the Wolves I'm Home portrays an awkward young girl’s struggle to comprehend love in a time and a culture when AIDS awareness was just beginning. Fourteen-year-old June Elbus feels closer to her uncle Finn than anyone else on earth. June’s love for Finn will not die even though Finn is. It’s 1987, and he has AIDS. In the final months of his life, Finn spends Sunday afternoons painting a portrait of June and her sister, Greta, that he titles “Tell the Wolves I’m Home.” The girls’ mother, Finn ...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Michelle rated it liked it

This was a hard one to rate. The writing is spectacular, however I tended to get bored and just a bit creeped out. In 1987 I was a year older than June and a year younger than Greta so I remember the huge AIDS epidemic and how everyone freaked out. The characters were a tad screwed up. I wanted to like them, but I just couldn't. June was way too attached to her Uncle Finn in a way that was really not healthy for a 14 year old. Not only was it strange, but she managed to push everyone else in her ...more

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Aug 11, 2013 Katharine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: heart-warming, think-about-it, favorites

Infinite number of stars. This book is one of those rare discoveries you search for every time you pick up a book. It's a book you feel in your soul. A book you want to savor and never want to end. One you hold in your hands, almost meditatively staring at the cover, trying to absorb all of its depth of emotion and wisdom. It's a book you physically embrace, close to your heart, like a long lost friend or something you've been searching for all of your life and unexpectedly found; and now, you n ...more

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Jan 05, 2014 Elle rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary

I really liked this one, but it totally made my heart hurt. I felt so heavily for June, for her mother, for Finn, for Toby. But it's just such a beautiful book. The writing is good and something about it just feels so languid, flowy, and comfortable. I enjoyed this much more than I expected to. ...more

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