Scan barcode
A review by andrew61
The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall
4.0
I had heard two of the author's short stories read for the BBC short story award over the last few years so was intrigued to read this novel which did not disappoint.
The story is about Rachel Caine a woman from Cumbria who is working in Idaho on a project monitoring the native wolves. She still has connections with the Lake district and as her mother Binny moves into a nursing home she visits her and we learn about this troubled relationship and why Rachel appears to have chose to distance herself from this mother and half brother Lawrence, a relationship which seems to have informed Rachel's ability to have relationships with men beyond sex . Rachel is in demand from a local Cumbrian earl who wants to reintroduce wolves to the area and eventually she succumbs and moves back .
The book is set against what is a successful independence vote in Scotland and gently develops the story of how Rachel's life changes over a period of time.
I really liked the storytelling that this book drew me into. The story of the wolves runs parallel with Rachel's and their wildness and independence contradicted with the pack aspect of the animals and the emergence of a family unit . Rachel similarly is fiercely independent, scarred by her past but has to learn to trust people close to her and develop and nurture relationships that are important to her. She captures the beauty of the landscape and its harshness and allows us as readers to explore the sensitivities of how reintroduction of a predatory animal at the whim of a landowner can divide a community.
The author created characters and relationships with skill and for me this book whilst gently exploring the situation and moving slowly read almost like a thriller as I was drawn into the world and anxious to keep turning the page . Definitely an author I hope to read more of in 2019.
The story is about Rachel Caine a woman from Cumbria who is working in Idaho on a project monitoring the native wolves. She still has connections with the Lake district and as her mother Binny moves into a nursing home she visits her and we learn about this troubled relationship and why Rachel appears to have chose to distance herself from this mother and half brother Lawrence, a relationship which seems to have informed Rachel's ability to have relationships with men beyond sex . Rachel is in demand from a local Cumbrian earl who wants to reintroduce wolves to the area and eventually she succumbs and moves back .
The book is set against what is a successful independence vote in Scotland and gently develops the story of how Rachel's life changes over a period of time.
I really liked the storytelling that this book drew me into. The story of the wolves runs parallel with Rachel's and their wildness and independence contradicted with the pack aspect of the animals and the emergence of a family unit . Rachel similarly is fiercely independent, scarred by her past but has to learn to trust people close to her and develop and nurture relationships that are important to her. She captures the beauty of the landscape and its harshness and allows us as readers to explore the sensitivities of how reintroduction of a predatory animal at the whim of a landowner can divide a community.
The author created characters and relationships with skill and for me this book whilst gently exploring the situation and moving slowly read almost like a thriller as I was drawn into the world and anxious to keep turning the page . Definitely an author I hope to read more of in 2019.