History of Wolves by: Emily Fridlund

History of Wolves

by: Emily Fridlund

Review

Today, October 7th, I finished History of Wolves by: Emily Fridlund. I read this book as a part of my Man Booker 2017 goals, had it not made the shortlist I do not think I would have reached for it on the shelf of any bookshop. That is not to say that it was poorly written, though the plotline would not have caught my eye. This book is gorgeously put together by Atlantic Monthly Press, the naked hardcover edition has a close-up image of a wolf printed on the cover to further drive home the idea of wilderness and obsession. 

This book follows Linda, the main character, as she reflects on her childhood many years after the events of the novel. The events of her childhood are complicated to say the least; she is the "child" of a cult and lives alone in the woods with her "parents". To discuss the plot of this book any further than to say it is the story of her obsession with the new family in town and a lonely girl at school, I believe would be a spoiler. The theme of obsession is handled in a linear fashion to begin with, though as the novel progresses Fridlund alternates timelines. This alternating structure confused me to put it simply. Multilayered timelines are usually not a problem for me, though these jarred me each time that they switched which I do not believe was the intention of the author. 

Obsession is something that our society has tagged a negative mark on for as long as I can remember, however Fridlund nuances this argument greatly through the commentary in her novel. At times the reader is lead to believe that the main character is helping the Gardner family by being as intrusive as she is, though at other times Linda is overstepping boundaries with family and friends. Seeing both the effects of her inquisitive and obsessive nature show the reader the nuances regarding being obsessive with a topic or group of people. Another obsession of Linda's that I found almost comical was her love of wolves and their natural history, though I can relate on this level.  Personal obsession with animals has happened to me this summer during my ecological research and the Golden-winged Warblers. 

Fridlund captures the intricacies of childhood and human relationships beautifully through this novel. Her writing is well crafted and flows throughout. The descriptions of nature will transport the reader to the middle of a dense Minnesota woodland where time stands still and you are given the luxury to appreciate its beauty. 

Though this novel was well
written I do not suspect it will stick with me through the test of time, not a bad book, though not a book I completely understood the authors main goals and themes. If any of the themes or plot points sound intriguing to you I would recommend picking this up, otherwise you might just want to avoid it. 

Rating: 3 stars

Happy Reading!