Tell the Wolves I’m Home is centered around a 15-year-oldish girl named June whose favorite person in the world (who is also a skilled painter), Uncle Finn, is dying of AIDS. The story mostly explores June’s attempts to figure out the meaning of the painting Uncle Finn left for them before he died and her attempts to figure more out about Uncle Finn from a man named Toby.
I think that within Tell the Wolves I’m Home are core messages about the wrong in being quick to judge others and how there’s more to someone than just what they reveal to you on the outside. It was a touching story in many ways, although overall, it wasn’t quite impactful or moving for me. Its messages are kind of obvious, and the scenes throughout the book that are supposed to be emotional aren’t really.
The story kind of just felt dull is what I guess I’m trying to say. Now, don’t take this the wrong way, as classifying books as “boring” is a danger that a lot of people fall into that dissuades them from reading more books, but for this book, there was really nothing “special” about it aside from the fact that in the background is running the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the late-1900s America. Furthermore, Rifka tries to show that there are more sides to a character than on the surface but just leaves me feeling conflicted about and even more detached from
them. Perhaps the only character for which these attempts of Rifka kind of worked was for Toby, who is a somewhat interesting and probably my favorite character from the book.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a meh kind of book. If you’re looking for a casual read to maybe kill some time or practice your reading skills, I’d recommend it. I know that sounds harsh, but the novel didn’t really leave any kind of strong impression on me. Of course, you may have a different opinion about this novel, so check out some more reviews if you think that may help you get a more balanced perspective. Until next time!
Review By ~ Andrew
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