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Tell the Wolves I’m Home: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 17,163 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don't know you've lost someone until you've found them.
1987. There's only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that's her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June's world is turned upside down. But Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into June's life—someone who will help her to heal and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.
At Finn's funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn's apartment and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she's not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.
An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.
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"This book will stay in my mind for a long while. First, because it's well written. The first person narrator is completely engaging and vulnerable. Anyone who remembers the intensity of teenage emotion and attachment will recognize the truth here. Second, I found synchronicity here: the important idea of negative space had come up earlier in the day when I encountered it in the novel. In so many ways, this novel spoke to me."
— Karen (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Amy Rubinate narrates with a clear and compassionate voice, imparting a clear sense of June’s many insecurities and her struggle as she re-imagines her uncle’s life. Her vocal characters are well drawn across the board, her pacing and emotional levels on the mark. Finn, June, and Toby are characters one won’t soon forget.”
— SoundCommentary (audio review) -
“A gorgeously evocative novel about love, loss, and the ragged mysteries of the human heart, all filtered through the achingly real voice of a remarkable young heroine.”
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author -
“Brunt writes about family, adolescence, and the human heart with great candor, insight, and pathos.”
— Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author -
“Tremendously moving…Brunt strikes a difficult balance, imbuing June with the disarming candor of a child and the melancholy wisdom of a heart-scarred adult.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Distracted parents, tussling adolescents, the awful ghost-world of the AIDS-afflicted before AZT—all of it springs to life in Brunt’s touching and ultimately hopeful book.”
— People (four stars) -
“A dazzling debut novel.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“Flawlessly encapsulates the fragile years during the mid-’80s when the specter of AIDS began to haunt society at large.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune -
“With wry compassion, Brunt portrays the bitter lengths to which we will go to hide our soft underbellies and how summoning the courage to be vulnerable is the only way to see through to each other’s hungry, golden souls.”
— Amazon.com -
“Brunt perfectly captures the longings and struggles of being a teenager and the sticky tensions between siblings. She also reminds us of the fear and ignorance surrounding the burgeoning AIDS epidemic during the Reagan-era ’80s. This book is beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once.”
— BookRiot -
“A beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“What begins as a wary relationship between former rivals for Finn’s affection blossoms touchingly.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Elegantly pictures the New York art world of the 1980s, suburban Westchester, and the isolation of AIDS.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tale as charming and magnetic as the missing character at its heart. It’s a love story of the most unusual kind—several love stories, really—vivid and madly relatable, heartening as well as heartbreaking. Brunt is a captivating storyteller and a wonderful new voice.”
— Rebecca Makkai, author of The Borrower
Awards
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An Amazon Best Book of the Month, June 2012
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Selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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A BookPage Book of the Day, August 2012
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A 2012 BookPage Notable Book
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A 2012 Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Book for Fiction
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A 2012 Booklist Top 10
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An Oprah Irresistible Read
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An 2012 Amazon Top 100 Book
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A BookPage Best Book of 2012
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A 2012 Booklist Editors’ Choice in Adult Books for Young Adults
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A 2012 eMusic Best Audiobook of the Year
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Winner of a 2013 YALSA Alex Award
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A BuzzFeed Books Pick of 49 Underrated Books You Really Need to Read
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A BookRiot Pick of Staff Favorites
Tell the Wolves I’m Home Listener Reviews
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" As an child of the eighties I remember the fear and misinformation surrounding AIDs. How far we have come. Beautiful and complex, I love stories that are, at the heat, really about love. "
— Rachelle, 2/19/2014 -
" I think I would have given this 3.5 if I had the opportunity to. I liked. Did I REALLY like it? I dunno. I may have tainted the review because I not only read it, I also had the audio version and I listened to it. The reader on the audio version was horrible - she was flat, monotonous, and quite unlikeable. so if you choose to read this, then read it. Do not get the audio version. "
— Kristy, 2/17/2014 -
" Loved this book. A coming-of-age book about a 14-year old girl who feels awkward/unpretty who is coping with the death of her only friend, her Uncle Finn. The books talk about loss in a beautiful way. This girl's also going through some cattiness with her pretty, talented, 16-year old sister (the worst kind of bitchiness--between teen sisters??) "
— PhilaLilla, 2/17/2014 -
" 2.5 stars. OMG I am ready to slit my wrists. This book mentally exhausted me. I might lose friends by only giving it 2 stars because there are RAVING reviews about this book everywhere you turn. Maybe I am weird. Maybe I don't like feeling like I want to flush my head down the toliet for an entire 11 hours (I listened to this book) just so I can escape the misery the characters in this book go through. Also, having read this book was SO AWESOME I spent the first 5 hours of this book waiting for the awesomeness to happen only to find out that every hour took me deeper and deeper in to a state of depression. Makes you want to pick this book right up, right! Seriously, though, I see why people like this book. It was very well thought out and very well written, just not my type of book. "
— Adrienne, 2/3/2014 -
" Once I began reading this book I was unable to put it down. The characters and story were so compelling. It tells of love, loss and how confusing and overwhelming grief can be. I highly recommend this book. "
— Danit, 1/24/2014 -
" Beautiful !! Just finished reading this book - recommended!! "
— Orna, 1/21/2014 -
" Every once in awhile a beautiful story comes along. This was just such a book. Beautifully written, and seemed to drag my heart right along with it. I did find it a little slow in the beginning, I think I'm just used to more action packed novels. This, however warmed my heart and carried me right along with it's intimate portrait of one families struggles, heartaches, and ultimately love. "
— Debbie, 1/20/2014 -
" Good story but the writing wasn't the best. "
— Sue, 1/16/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book! At first it was a little slow but the story of the bond between the two sisters and the appearance of AIDS in the 80s really struck a chord with me. The end is worth reading all of it. "
— Shawn, 10/1/2013 -
" Maybe I should stop rating books the moment I finish reading them, and in this case am still wiping my tears, because I'm handing out an awful lot of five star ratings lately. "
— Ellie, 9/11/2013 -
" Simply wonderful read! I could not put this book down ~ "
— Joan, 8/26/2013 -
" I really liked the story, & June's relationship with Toby, & I couldn't wait to get more of his side of things. This is a really beautiful, thinky book, & I think I would have really loved it if the wolves in the story weren't so obviously symbolic of something I wasn't getting. "
— Amy!, 8/4/2013 -
" Enjoyed this book very much. "
— Jill, 6/12/2013 -
" this novel was so well written and heartwarming, almost like The Art of Racing in the Rain! "
— R.j., 5/9/2013 -
" I was a good book "
— Shai, 1/21/2013 -
" I loved this book. It will be one of my top 10 this year. "
— Ree, 12/22/2012 -
" 4.5/5 stars. An excellent read. "
— Cortney, 12/19/2012 -
" This is a story so very specific to the 80s. From that point of view, I think the story could have been given more weight. Maybe that's beside the point, though. The immediacy of the story carried it along. "
— Eman, 12/10/2012 -
" A well-written, heart wrenching story of a family dealing with a loved one who dies from AIDS in the 80s just before AZT was available. "
— Alexa, 10/29/2012 -
" Wow. One of the most beautiful, heartbreaking books I've read in a long time. "
— Lyndsey, 9/30/2012 -
" I am having trouble saying how much I loved this book. Heart wrenching and heartfelt, just a marvelous story and painfully well written. Flawed real characters that are hard to say goodbye when the novel is over. I am wishing I could read it again for the first time. "
— Jenny, 9/25/2012 -
" this is a wonderful coming of age book. great characters i truly enjoyed it. "
— jeanette, 8/14/2012
About Carol Rifka Brunt
Carol Rifka Brunt’s work has appeared in several literary journals, including the North American Review and the Sun. In 2006 she was one of three fiction writers who received a New Writing Ventures Award, and in 2007 she received a generous Arts Council England grant to write Tell the Wolves I’m Home, her first novel. Originally from New York, she currently lives in England with her husband and three children.
About Amy Rubinate
Amy Rubinate has narrated over 250 audiobooks and won multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. Her books have been selected for AudioFile’s Best Romance of 2016 list; Booklist’s Top 10 Romance, Top 10 Historical Fiction, Editor’s Choice Media; and YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults. She has a degree in oral interpretation of literature and won state and national awards for poetry reading. A voice actor and singer for over a decade, Amy has narrated many interactive children’s books and provided character voices for toys and video games. Amy’s work has been featured in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, AudioFile magazine, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal.