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A review by deecreatenola
The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall
2.0
2.5 stars. I'm a big fan of wolves plus the author was highlighted as a rising literary star, so this seemed like a good choice. At first, I was not sure. For such an acclaimed writer, I found the first section of the book difficult to read with too many phrases and few actual sentences. I also found writing in present tense although trendy, an unusual choice. Present tense books are so in the moment that the flow of the story can be jarring. It also means that the narrator essentially has no hindsight, making the story very immediate but also very flat. Oh, and for the love of God, why couldn't the author use quotation marks?! It was very difficult to distinguish thoughts from spoken words.
More than that, the protagonist was pretty unlikeable for at least the first quarter to half of the book. Reading about her life in the States, she seemed devoid of personality, like she was all work, the occasional one-night stand, and more work.
It wasn't until she moved to England and "decided" to keep her baby (although it was not so much a decision as a lack of a decision to have an abortion) that she became more fully fleshed out and got a bit of life in her (literally and figuratively). As she contemplated then became a mother, actually formed a romantic relationship beyond one night, and got to know and cared for her brother, she grew as a person and became significantly less self-absorbed. Probably not unlike real life for many young people.
The backdrop of the story - the reintroduction of wolves to England - was interesting, but I was surprised we didn't learn more about wolves than we did. I enjoyed the description of Cumbria and of Seldom Seen. I still ponder her relationship to Binny (where did that name come from?), but I thought it was a good ending - threads tied up with a definite hopeful future.
More than that, the protagonist was pretty unlikeable for at least the first quarter to half of the book. Reading about her life in the States, she seemed devoid of personality, like she was all work, the occasional one-night stand, and more work.
It wasn't until she moved to England and "decided" to keep her baby (although it was not so much a decision as a lack of a decision to have an abortion) that she became more fully fleshed out and got a bit of life in her (literally and figuratively). As she contemplated then became a mother, actually formed a romantic relationship beyond one night, and got to know and cared for her brother, she grew as a person and became significantly less self-absorbed. Probably not unlike real life for many young people.
The backdrop of the story - the reintroduction of wolves to England - was interesting, but I was surprised we didn't learn more about wolves than we did. I enjoyed the description of Cumbria and of Seldom Seen. I still ponder her relationship to Binny (where did that name come from?), but I thought it was a good ending - threads tied up with a definite hopeful future.