Tell the Wolves I'm Home - by Carol Rifka Brunt (Paperback)

About the Book

"1987. The only person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is 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"--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A heartfelt story of love, grief, and renewal about two unlikely friends who discover that sometimes you don't know you've lost someone until you've found them

"A dazzling debut novel."--O: The Oprah Magazine
"Tremendously moving."--The Wall Street Journal
"Touching and ultimately hopeful."--People

1987. The only person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can be herself only 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. At the funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail containing 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 that this unexpected friend just might be the one she needs the most.

WINNER OF THE ALEX AWARD - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal - O: The Oprah Magazine - BookPage - Kirkus Reviews - Booklist - School Library Journal

Review Quotes

"Brunt strikes a difficult balance, imbuing June with the disarming candor of a child and the melancholy wisdom of a heart-scarred adult."--The Wall Street Journal

"In this lovely debut novel set in the 1980s, Carol Rifka Brunt takes us under the skin and inside the tumultuous heart of June Elbus. . . . Distracted parents, tussling adolescents, the awful ghost-world of the AIDS-afflicted before AZT--all of it springs to life."--People

"With this debut novel that flawlessly encapsulates the fragile years during the mid-'80s when the specter of AIDS began to haunt society at large, Carol Rifka Brunt establishes herself as an emerging author to watch."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"[A] striking first outing . . . Brunt weaves a terrific coming-of-age story, painting a vibrant picture of June's dreams and insecurities as she teeters on the border between childhood and maturity."--The Onion A.V. Club

"[A] transcendent debut . . . Peopled by characters who will live in readers' imaginations long after the final page is turned, Brunt's novel is a beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope."--Booklist (starred review)

"Carol Rifka Brunt's astonishing first novel is so good, there's no need to grade on a curve: Tell the Wolves I'm Home is not only one of the best debuts of 2012, it's one of the best books of the year, plain and simple. In a literary landscape overflowing with coming-of-age stories, Tell the Wolves I'm Home rises above the rest. The narrative is as tender and raw as an exposed nerve, pulsing with the sharpest agonies and ecstasies of the human condition."--BookPage

"A poignant debut . . . Brunt's first novel elegantly pictures the New York art world of the 1980s, suburban Westchester and the isolation of AIDS."--Kirkus Reviews

"What begins as a wary relationship between former rivals for Finn's affection blossoms touchingly."--Publishers Weekly

"An uplifting debut novel about loss, love, and unlikely friendships in the midst of the 1980s AIDS epidemic . . . a literary pleasure read."--BookBrowse

"[A] beautiful novel of love and loss . . . accessible, sensitively told, and heartbreaking."--School Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

Carol Rifka Brunt's work has appeared in several literary journals, including North American Review and The Sun. In 2006, she was one of three fiction writers who received the New Writing Ventures award and, in 2007, she received a generous Arts Council 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.