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impeachnixon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm writing this review years and years after I read it, so it won't be very detailed or anything, but it's taken me this logn to form my thoughts on it (and I still don't really know how I feel). All I can say is that I'm incredibly torn. I read this book when I was a 15 year old girl, and I was immediately put off by certain elements of it. In one scene, June calls Toby her boyfriend (as a "joke"? I didn't get it then and I don't get it now) and he isn't put off by it. There's the one scene where he, like, breathes down her neck? It made me extremely uncomfortable as a young girl. I don't need books that feature such complicated and controversial topics to explicitly spell out that they are bad, but, at the same time, I felt EXTREMELY uncomfortable at just how un-challenged some of these scenes went, especially as someone who was similar in age at the time to the main character. There were also many instances where June spoke about her love in language that was transparently meant to parallel the gay experience-- talking about how it isn't a love she chose, etc. That, plus one of the most prominent gay male characters (in my opinion) crossing the line in this book really made me feel like this book was not having the conversations about homophobia or incest that it wanted to be having, and that it was drawing extremely questionable comparisons between the two. I didn't need it to so explicitly condemn any of the character's actions or feelings-- I think that the reader should be trusted to form their own opinions about the events in the book. Besides, if Toby didn't act the way he did and didn't allow June to say and do some of the things she said and did, I have no problem with the book depicting and exploring the feelings that June had for her uncle. Honestly, I think my biggest complaint is just that I was lead to believe the book was in the young adult age range. The cover design, the synopsis advertising that it's about a 14 year old girl, and the synopsis not mentioning that she has feelings for her uncle had all kind of contributed to this idea for me. I still can't tell if it's YA or not-- although I hope it isn't intended to be. I can't really let myself give it under 3 stars because I did really enjoy reading certain parts of it. I think it was really well written, I loved June's relationship with her sister being explored. Although I wish that it was explored in a different way (namely, Toby handling June's feelings better and not having lines that seem to compare incest to homosexuality), the themes explored in this book and the relationships depicted were interesting and impactful. This book brought a lot of conversations that are very uncomfortable to the forefront. Still, I can't get over how uncomfortable it made me to read this book as a girl similar in age to the protagonist. For years, I've struggled to put together my feelings on this book, but I think that's my basic review. I felt like it was well written (although not flawless), but, in my personal experience, it was not tactful enough to make someone in the same demographic as the main character have a comfortable reading experience. And it wasn't always uncomfortable in the sense that it challenged me (although, to its credit, this book did challenge me in a way that I think is productive and conducive to the conversation it wanted to start). Rather, it often made me uncomfortable in the sense that I felt like I was supposed to like and relate to characters who didn't make me feel safe. I don't know how many stars off that warrants, if any. All I know is that it's one of the strongest memories I have of reading a book in that time of my life, and, although i don't know exactly what feelings I have about this book, they are no doubt very strong feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Incest
Minor: Pedophilia
sarasorayai's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
dani_j_norwell's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Homophobia
callikat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
The writing itself is beautiful and the characters are interesting enough, but the weird incest tones (and a vague inclination that that is going to move toward an extremely shitty "forbidden love" comparison to gay relationships, which might be me being hypervigilant but, from a glance over other reviews, does seem to crop up) and dubious handling of HIV/AIDS-related topics is making me think it would probably be better to drop this earlier than later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Incest, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Teenage protagonist is infatuated with her adult uncle; there is no reciprocation, but her feelings are still covered in depth. Death of a family member due to AIDS. Period-typical negative attitudes about AIDS. Brownface is mentioned and the R-slur is used in passing. Underage drinking in at least one scene.sneezy_5000's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
tetedump's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, and Grief
antonella_taylorsversion's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Lo amé mucho. Me siento un poco abrumada y por eso me cuesta poner en palabras lo que significó este libro e historia para mi. La verdad es que lo empecé con 0 expectativas y me llevé tremenda sorpresa. Es una historia sobre el crecimiento de uno, la adolescencia, la familia, el amor… Ahora bien, no creo que sea un libro para cualquiera. Quizás consideren el ritmo del libro como lento, y eso les moleste. Pero a mi me pareció perfecto y todo tenia un motivo.
También siento que la forma de escribir de la autora es lo que hizo que el libro fuera 100 veces mejor.
Soy fan de compartir mis citas favoritas. Así que acá va:
También siento que la forma de escribir de la autora es lo que hizo que el libro fuera 100 veces mejor.
Soy fan de compartir mis citas favoritas. Así que acá va:
“I really wondered why people were always doing what they didn't like doing. It seemed like life was a sort of narrowing tunnel. Right when you were born, the tunnel was huge. You could be anything. Then, like, the absolute second after you were born, the tunnel narrowed down to about half that size. You were a boy, and already it was certain you wouldn't be a mother and it was likely you wouldn't become a manicurist or a kindergarten teacher. Then you started to grow up and everything you did closed the tunnel in some more. You broke your arm climbing a tree and you ruled out being a baseball pitcher. You failed every math test you ever took and you canceled any hope of being a scientist. Like that. On and on through the years until you were stuck. You'd become a baker or a librarian or a bartender. Or an accountant. And there you were. I figured that on the day you died, the tunnel would be so narrow, you'd have squeezed yourself in with so many choices, that you just got squashed.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
peytongadbury's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“That’s the secret. If you always make sure you’re exactly the person you hoped to be, if you always make sure you know only the very best people, then you won’t care if you die tomorrow.”
― Carol Rifka Brunt, Tell the Wolves I’m Home
In a heartbreaking, sentimental tale of adolescence, author Carol Rifka Brunt captures the inner-turmoil of fourteen-year-old June Elbus as she copes with the loss of her uncle in Brunt’s debut novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home.
This coming-of-age novel deals with themes of grief and acceptance as June navigates the world without her best friend after her uncle passes away from AIDS in 1980’s New York. Uncle Finn was the only one to understand June, introducing her to a world of art, Renaissance fairs, and Mozart’s Requiem. To June, Finn was a special red tea kettle and her favorite pair of boots.
After spending most of her life falling second to her sister, June always looked forward to being Finn’s number one.
However, when a strange English man appears at her uncle’s funeral, she realizes she isn’t the only important person in her uncle’s life. There was a whole other half of his world that she never got to be a part of and soon jealousy takes hold of June, quickly turning into resentment as she begins to question everything she knows about her uncle.
As the book progresses, she opens herself up to Toby, her uncle’s partner whom she meets in secret, and learns more about his life as they both come to terms with Finn’s death. They reminisce on all things Finn and June eventually stops seeing Toby as the man who killed her uncle. At the same time, June struggles to save her tumultuous relationship with her sister and family who resent Finn’s life choices and refuse to acknowledge Toby’s existence.
This book will make you ugly-cry in a good, cathartic way. Tell the Wolves I’m Home opens reader’s eyes to the heartbreak and sorrow of AIDS, the stigma of homosexuality in the 1980’s, and the struggle we face when family members leave us behind.
Read it and weep.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Medical content
elizabeth_18's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death and Homophobia