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Maxwell's Reviews > History of Wolves
History of Wolves
by
Coming of ages novels, especially ones not aimed at young adult readers, can be a tricky business. Too much time spent on the character's age and youthful struggles and you risk losing the reader and the plot; but not enough time focused on that incredibly challenging period of life when you're coming into your own and learning to see the world in new and often bleak and pessimistic ways, and the thread of the novel comes undone. I think Emily Fridlund handles that balance incredibly well in History of Wolves.
I'm hesitant to say anything about the plot of this novel because I went into it with virtually no knowledge of the story and enjoyed the process of discovery. But at a basic level it's about guilt and innocence, when to speak up about something and when to stay silent, and the penance people often feel they must perform to atone for past actions. Essentially it's about how our lives and all the events in our lives stay with us, sometimes even haunt us, but also give us something to continue living for—it's up to us to figure out how to move forward with the weight of those experiences on our backs.
This is the kind of book I'm so happy gets recognition from awards like the Man Booker Prize because I might not have otherwise heard about it or maybe not have been as compelled to pick it up. Instead, I was able to spend a Saturday lost in another story that I'm sure will stick with me for some time. 4.5 stars
by
"Maybe if I'd been someone else I'd see it differently. But isn't that the crux of the problem? Wouldn't we all act differently if we were someone else?"
Coming of ages novels, especially ones not aimed at young adult readers, can be a tricky business. Too much time spent on the character's age and youthful struggles and you risk losing the reader and the plot; but not enough time focused on that incredibly challenging period of life when you're coming into your own and learning to see the world in new and often bleak and pessimistic ways, and the thread of the novel comes undone. I think Emily Fridlund handles that balance incredibly well in History of Wolves.
I'm hesitant to say anything about the plot of this novel because I went into it with virtually no knowledge of the story and enjoyed the process of discovery. But at a basic level it's about guilt and innocence, when to speak up about something and when to stay silent, and the penance people often feel they must perform to atone for past actions. Essentially it's about how our lives and all the events in our lives stay with us, sometimes even haunt us, but also give us something to continue living for—it's up to us to figure out how to move forward with the weight of those experiences on our backs.
This is the kind of book I'm so happy gets recognition from awards like the Man Booker Prize because I might not have otherwise heard about it or maybe not have been as compelled to pick it up. Instead, I was able to spend a Saturday lost in another story that I'm sure will stick with me for some time. 4.5 stars
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Reading Progress
July 26, 2017
– Shelved
July 26, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
July 29, 2017
–
Started Reading
July 29, 2017
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0.35%
"Decided to jump into this one because it was available on Overdrive and since it's on the Man Booker longlist I thought I'd give it a shot. I know absolutely nothing about it which is my favorite way to go into books :) and also it's a debut novel which I'm always intrigued by."
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July 29, 2017
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26.0%
"So far not much has happened but it has a fee interesting tone, sort of eerie but not in an obvious way. Like something tense is lying just beneath the surface. It's also pretty easy to read which isn't always true of Man Booker nominees, so that's nice."
July 29, 2017
–
Finished Reading
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Kinga
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Jul 29, 2017 07:06PM
I totally understand what you are saying about the motivation/publicity merit of the Man Booker; a few weeks ago I actually picked up this book in our bookstore, but after reading the blurb on the cover, and a very few pages I decided, 'nah'. Of course now I am completely intrigued what the 'fuss' is about so I will probably read it as well.
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what you said about the novel sticking with you for some time: i agree. i think i know what those reviewers meant when they said stuff like 'these are haunted pages' and 'this is the loneliest thing i've read in years'. it's been 5 months and the book still lingers in the back of my mind.
