Tell the Wolves I'm Home
by Carol Rifka Brunt
Historical Fiction. Themes: Young Adult, LGBTQ+
Two Schoolgirls by the Scottish artist James Cowie
A literary gut punch, but in the very best way, this book depicts the complex reality of grief with shattering accuracy. Set in New York in the 1980s, we meet 14-year-old June Elbus and her family as she says goodbye to her beloved uncle and his mysterious friend.
June, the daughter of accountants during tax season, or what the young teenager refers to as ‘orphan season’, drops a delicate innuendo about grief’s many faces. Some are obvious, while others are intricately layered as we revisit the fear and isolation of the AIDS epidemic, caregiving and care-receiving, end-of-life transitions, and forfeiting a spiritually fulfilling life for economic survival.
“What if it was enough to realize that you would dies someday, that none of this would go on forever? Would that be enough?”
June delivers the crux of the novel by asking, "What if it was enough to realize that you would die some day, that none of this would go on forever?".
For teens struggling through the murky waters of bereavement and those of us mired in complicated family relationships, this is an excellent read. When speaking to the intricacies of caregiving, the book reinforces one of the greatest honors in life is holding those you love close at death.