Tell the Wolves I’m Home looks at how fourteen year old June
copes with the death of her uncle Finn, her mother’s brother. Finn was an
artist and painted June and her older sister Greta before he died. June was
very close to her uncle, she feels like she is in love with him. After he dies
from AIDS, she discovers there was a lot that she didn’t know about him, that
her mother kept from her. The biggest shock is that he had a partner, Toby who
he has been with for nine years. At first June doesn’t want to know him as she
doesn’t want to share her uncle or think about the fact that he loved someone
more or just as much as her. She agrees to meet him and he turns out to be a
way to keep her uncle alive.
The book is set in the 1980s, which was a time when AIDS was
a death sentence; there were no drugs to help you cope. Anyone who had AIDS was
treated like a leper as people didn’t know how you contracted AIDS so were
overly cautious and wouldn’t go near anyone who was known to have it. Although,
it wasn’t that long ago, there is a significant lack of technology. There was
no internet, so not every household had a computer and there were no mobile
phones. Some of the things that happen in the book wouldn’t have worked as well
had that technology been available. It couldn’t have been set today as AIDS is
no longer a death sentence. It is set recently enough that the world is
recognisable and relatable.
The relationships between the characters are what really
make this book what it is. The relationship between June and Toby is touching
as they are trying to keep the memory of Finn alive and trying to cope with his
death at the same time. June is reluctant to let Toby in to begin with but
comes to rely on his friendship. She needs him as her relationship with her
sister Greta is spiralling out of control. Greta seems to enjoy hurting June
and getting into her personal belongings. They used to be very close but have
drifted apart and June doesn’t know if they can fix it. Greta is the star of
the school play and feels pressure from their parents to do well. She starts
drinking and June worries that she’ll go too far. It takes Greta being brought
home by the police for them to start repairing their relationship and talking
to each other again.
The title doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with the book,
but the June realises towards the end that the wolves are the shameful and
embarrassing feelings that we have and we need to not run away from them. June
has a lot to deal with throughout the book and at times she’s not sure that
she’ll make it through. It’s the love that she feels for others and that others
feel for her that help her. She tries to keep all elements of her life separate
and you just can’t live like that; it’s too many things to juggle at once.
She’s much happier at the end of the book than at the start.
I was a bit unsure of June for much of the book; I wasn’t
sure I liked being in her head. However, as events started to come to a head it
was fun to see how she coped with that. I did feel a connection to June and
understood her motivations. Her parents don’t have the easiest jobs and the
girls are often left to fend for themselves. This means June is more mature
than the average fourteen year old but not as mature as she thinks she is. I
picked the book because of the title and am glad I did. There aren’t any wolves
in the book but there are plenty of demons that need exorcising. The family are
stuck in a rut and need the events that unfold to bring them back together. I enjoyed
the book and feel I understand people a bit better.
Overall rating 4 out of 5.
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