4 stars
Tell the Wolves I’m Home is about two teenage sisters navigating through their grief after their uncle’s death. A portrait he painted of them is both their preparation for his death and their therapy as they mourn.
The author did a wonderful job getting me to believe June’s life. Reading this book put me right there with her, back at 14 years old, watching drama club rehearsals and not knowing how to relate to boys. I felt like June was a girl I knew, someone I went to school with and hung out with on half-days, sketching or writing poetry in a notebook, trying to figure out how to express ourselves in a grown-up world.
I felt June’s confusion and sadness, her frustration with her sister, her search for an identity. The writing was so authentic, the emotional part of the story was very believable.
A few particulars in the story tripped me up. A 13-year old traveling from Westchester to Manhattan alone, or befriending a virtual stranger so quickly, or driving many miles in the middle of the night without a license seems too far-fetched. Maybe it’s because though I grew up in the same decades June did, I didn’t live in Westchester. I don’t know, but some actions just didn’t ring true.
It was those little implausible details that prevented me from being totally immersed in the story. As soon as I was about to lose myself in it, something unrealistic would jolt me out of the magic.
Still… I laughed and I cried – a sure sign of a good book. The sister relationship was written flawlessly. The expressions of sadness and love were perfectly conveyed. The writing flowed, and the dialogue was natural. The ending … just beautiful. I recommend!
-Calliope
Buy It Now Tell the Wolves I’m Home
Random Book Muses 
I totally agree about the lone travel to Manhattan. I grew up on Long Island during this time and that would never have happened to me or my friends. Her mother even let her take the train alone to Manhattan sometimes. Also Toby should not have left her alone to travel in my opinion. If she was living in Manhattan or even Brooklyn, I would have believed it.
I’m glad you posted because I thought maybe it’s different when there’s a train that goes right into the city. But it’s nice to know that I’m not alone in thinking that’s just too dangerous for a 13-14 year old.