Maddie lives on the lake in the forest in an abandoned commune with her mother and father. Maddie sometimes wonders if they are actually her parents or just the adults willing to take her when the commune broke up and she was a toddler. Now fifteen, her living situation makes her an outsider at her school and she doesn't have friends. She is interested when a new family moves in across the lake but close enough to view.

There is a mother and small boy, the father away working. The mother, Patra, seems lonely. Paul is four and Linda, which is how Maddie introduces herself, becomes his babysitter and Patra's friend. She teaches Paul the things she knows about nature. The father is an astrologer and away on work. When he returns, the atmosphere at the house changes as he is definitely in control and manages every interaction.

Things are also difficult for a teenager to process at school. There is a girl who becomes pregnant in the tenth grade after having made accusations of improper contact with a teacher. She later recants her accusation but the teacher is sent away to prison after questionable items are found in a search. Maddie/Linda had a relationship with him when he picked her to give her presentation about wolves at a conference. She wonders if he was truly guilty as he never was inappropriate with her, or if he just didn't find her attractive.

As Maddie looks back on this summer as an adult, the crisis of the time was when Paul became sick. Leo, the father, is a strict Christian Scientist and this affects how Paul is handled during his illness. Maddie doesn't understand what is happening as with so many things she witnessed or experienced but now looking back, she wonders if she could have affected the situation.

This is a debut novel. The author grew up and still resides in Minnesota where the book is set. Maddie is an interesting character, just figuring out how to relate to others and the world and then stuck in many ways for years afterwards in that summer. There are questions about the Christian Scientist religion, about controlling individuals, about marriages that are barren and based on one person having all the power. Readers will feel the tension under the everyday life of Maddie and know that something must have happened that summer that impacted the rest of Maddie's life. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction.

Emily Fridlund's use of language is beautiful and nuanced. Her descriptions of the North Woods are stark and lovely. The characters are quirky and well-developed, and Madeleine's emotional dilemma's are described with a sympathetic yet dispassionate voice.

There were a number of important plot themes intertwined in this book, and although the last few pages brought them together, it was ultimately a case of too much telling and not enough showing for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I haven't been able to complete this as it features the death of a child. Since having children, reading about the deaths of children makes me feel dizzy and need to lie down. Many apologies as I think this does sound like it was an interesting book.

'History of Wolves' is, as you probably guessed, not really a history of wolves. Just in case any there are any biologists getting excited out there!

It is, in fact, a sombre, somewhat compelling, coming-of-age novel. The central protagonist, Linda (or 'freak' or Madeleine), has grown up socially isolated and emotionally undeveloped: living in the last vestiges of a failed commune with people who may, or may not, be her parents. The story enfolds over three time spans, each eleven years apart: Linda as a teenager, then in her twenties, then in her thirties. Reading it as Kindle edition it was sometimes confusing which time period we were falling in, and that was one of the problems of the novel.

It starts very promisingly. Linda virtually lives in the middle of nowhere, so when a family move into the house across the lake from her, they are an immediate object of interest. When the father goes away for work, Linda 'accidentally' bumps into the mother and son: Patra and four-year-old Paul. Quickly, she becomes immersed in their life, acting as babysitter for Paul and companion for Patra. Here, again, Fridlund has set the age differences eleven years apart: a clever mirroring for the overarching plot.

But the real action happens in Linda's teenage years. She's not a natural babysitter; she doesn't even really like children. Her own parents are distant from her; her mother doing this deliberately by calling her 'CEO' from quite a young age, and her father is brusque, although well meaning. Her vague memories of the commune before it split up are her only experiences with children and, as a child herself, she doesn't find Paul endearing or sweet, merely exasperating for the majority of the time. There are, however, some heart warming moments when she feels moved by him. I particularly liked Fridlund's use of body language: <i>the kid just plops down into my lap. Boom. </i> And later: <i>He just schootched over automatically, let his body flow into mine, worked his way in - bit by bit - into my lap. He never stopped studying the puzzle.</i> Paul's family are a very demonstrative family, and Linda doesn't understand it at all. But I loved Fridlund's description of Paul - exactly how a child his age and how he had been raised would act. There are moments of prose like this which are really beautiful to read.

There is a theme running throughout of the difference between action and thought, which is mirrored in the story with her teacher and a classmate. I enjoyed teenage Linda's musings on the subject, and her later musings on what actions she could have done differently to stop the tragedy (don't worry, that's not a spoiler.) <i>"Maybe if I’d been someone else I’d see it differently. But isn’t that the crux of the problem? Wouldn’t we all act differently if we were someone else?"</i> Because, as you will find out if you read the book, there is also a big importance placed on <i>non</i>-action. I'll say no more - no spoilers!

The book becomes more exciting in the middle section, as you will find out. We know from the very first page that Paul dies. This is, of course, a tried and tested way of creating intrigue: you really have to keep reading to find out what happens, even when you suspect (too early on for my liking). Patra's husband returns, and Linda feels shoved to one side. It turns out that Paul's parents are Scientologists, although Linda wouldn't really understand what that means. The tension builds and climaxes in this centre passage, leaving the remaining pages somewhat lacklustre.

There were things I liked about 'History of Wolves', and things that I didn't. I found the plot line with her teacher and another student unsatisfying and unfinished, leaving me feeling as though I had missed something. The same too with Linda as she is as an older woman, both in her twenties and thirties: the barely fleshed out relationships with her boyfriend and roommate respectively. There were certain parallels with the teacher story (Mr Greirson) which were fantastic - but just weren't developed enough. It left me feeling very frustrated.

I think all of the points I have made have probably been covered in other reviews, but this is my tuppence on the subject. As a debut author, Fridlund has a while to grow her plot developing skills, and I hope she does - because the language is beautiful.

On the LongList for The Man Booker Prize (the first one I've read this year), but I don't think it will make it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Monthly Press for the opportunity to read this book. It is now on general release.

I love wolves, and that was the first thing that drew me to History of Wolves. Although Emily Fridlund's novel doesn't actually centre around wolves, what attracts me to them is what also ended up tying me to the novel. This is also one of those novels who is done a slight disservice by a book's need for a blurb. I wrestled over whether to include one or not and decided yes, in the end, but truly there is much more to this book than could be encapsulated in a paragraph or two. Despite this, I will attempt to write down my own thoughts in the few paragraphs below. Thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As I said above, it is difficult, and sometimes close to impossible, to describe certain books. On the one hand History of Wolves is a novel about a young girl growing up, on the other hand it is a novel about the crimes we commit against one another. But you'll need more than two hands to describe this novel, because it's also about emotional isolation, trauma, Christian Science, and so much more. Set in the isolated regions of northern Minnesota, History of Wolves is Madeline's attempt at sorting out her past, present and future. The little decisions we all make daily can have a major impact and that terrifying fact is what History of Wolves dissects. It doesn't always make for a comfortable read, just like Madeline isn't always a likeable main character. But then, no one is perfect and that is the crux of the matter. The discovery of self and the changing of the self is a theme many novels have dedicated themselves to, but not many manage to capture all its facets. History of Wolves is at times beautiful, haunting, terrifying and intense, just like life.

Running through the novel is the theme of wolves, of hunters and prey, strength and weakness. Each of these expresses itself differently. Madline is a predator in her own way, involving herself in the lives of others, stalking them and looking for signs of emotion and warmth. Similarly, Mr. Grierson and many other characters in the book are both incredibly in the wrong and yet sympathetic in how they themselves are victims in one way or another. It makes for a difficult read because we'd all like to rather see the world in black and white, with clear cut heroes and villains, and a morality without questions. History of Wolves is also a novel about love and warmth, about how desperately we humans crave closeness and affection, and will look for it from whichever source, even if we know it's the wrong source. There is also a sense in which the anger we show to others comes back to ourselves. We try to paint them as the aggressors, yet have to face we ourselves are also both victim and aggressor. I like books that come too close for comfort, it makes me face myself, but it's not for everyone. And some days it isn't even for me.

The timeline of History of Wolves jumps around a lot. Seemingly written in hindsight, Fridlund repeatedly takes you back to Madeline's teenage years, before yanking you on to her early childhood, and then onward to her mid-twenties. On the one hand this can get confusing, yet on the other hand it also captures very accurately how memories work. They are disjointed, bring together stories that seem utterly random yet are strangely connected, and throw a fog over the parts of our lives we'd rather forget. It creates a strange atmosphere in the novel which makes it seem slightly detached, and this spreads also to the characters. Although everyone is living, hardly any seem really alive, only going through the motions of every day. This even finds its reflection in the names of the characters. Madeline is referred to as Linda, Madeline and Mattie, occasionally making you question if we truly still are reading about the same girl. And I guess the question is, are we? Do things happen to us that change us irrevocably as people, that disconnect us from who we were before? And what do we do when we find ourselves isolated from our past? History of Wolves throws up a lot of questions and leaves them hanging for you to answer for yourself.

Fridlund's writing is stunning. I adored her descriptions of Minnesota's landscape, how she captures the changing seasons, the vitality of nature and the sheer power of it all. Nature becomes almost like a character in History of Wolves, affecting the characters as much as they do each other. Fridlund also manages to make much explicit without spelling it out. Especially when it comes to her characters' emotions and thoughts, Fridlund gives the smallest motion meaning. Without delving too deeply into Madeline's time at the commune, we can guess at the impact this has had on her. Although Fridlund doesn't spend a lot of time at Madeline's high school, we can tell it's not the best of places for her. I was continuously amazed at how much Fridlund managed to pack into History of Wolves. Although occasionally the narrative perhaps strays a bit, Fridlund always manages to reign it back in. By staying true to Madeline's voice, she doesn't follow every story to its full completion as it loses its relevance to her, yet the novel is filled with stories and moments and observations. The fact History of Wolves is Fridlund's debut novel makes it all the more impressive and personally I cannot wait to read her next book.

History of Wolves is a stunning novel which I will definitely be rereading numerous times. Although not perfect, there is so much to admire in Fridlund's novel that the occasional confusion is all but forgotten. History of Wolves is a novel to get lost in and a novel in which you have to try to find yourself nonetheless. I'd recommend this to fans of literary fiction and coming-of-age novels.

Good story, though unsettling. The suffering that little boy suffered was heart wrenching.

While at times, this was hard to read-the pacing and viewpoint were a bit unstable and felt dull at times-it was an interesting exploration of how an outsider ends up being sucked into something she doesn't understand because it's the first place she belongs. It's an apt metaphor for understand gang membership and the like but set in an interesting dreamy rural setting. The case set up was a good touch.

I've just finished this book and I'm going back over the story in my mind, trying to fully savor it. There are so many profound ideas here. I'm looking forward to having some time later to reread parts and think more about it.
This would be a perfect book for a book club. There are certainly a lot of things to discuss. A key question concerns the relationship between belief and action. Are we accountable for what we do, in spite of what we imagine or believe? Is belief enough? Can belief alone change outcomes? Are consequences acceptable if done with pure motives? Can we, or should we, be held responsible for something merely fantasized about but not acted on?
The story is set in a small town in Minnesota. The protagonist is a teenage girl who has grown up on acres of forested wilderness amid the many lakes surrounding her parents rustic two-room cabin. Her character is so well-developed and complex, I feel that I know her, and empathize with her reactions to the tragic events that occur. It's heartbreaking to watch her teenage mind try to make sense of something that is nearly impossible for most adults to comprehend. Although she is strong in many ways, she is also needy, and suffers from guilt and self doubt when this terrible event occurs.
I won't give too much more information about this since I don't want to spoil it for you. It's a real page-turner, but one with substance. There is plenty to think about. You can't go wrong reading this. It will be a book you will remember for a long time, and possibly reread.

4★ - overall
5★ for the writing and the main story.
An intense debut from a talented writer. Madeline, who prefers ‘Linda’, is telling her story as an adult, with episodes from her childhood, her school years, her early adulthood and now. But it’s what happened to her at 15 that changes her life which is the excellent heart of the book. Her later years – with a boyfriend or tracking a classmate and former teacher – didn’t interest me. The teen Linda did.

Linda’s called ‘Freak’ at school. Her parents are all that’s left of a lakeside hippy commune in northern Minnesota; she wears “clothes made from other people’s clothes”; they are isolated, have no car and use an outhouse that is either freezing or full of flies.

Dad fishes and her mother looks busy by strewing projects around the cabin, sewing quilts, making jam to sell. Mother is disappointed with her student daughter who doesn’t rebel against school as she did. (Of course, if Linda actually did want to rebel, what better way?)

A problem with hippies, back in the day, was it was all do your own thing . . . as long as your 'thing' was cool. No bankers or stockbrokers need apply, thanks. No evening gowns and dinner suits acceptable. But I digress.

Linda knows and loves the woods and the lake, the wildlife, the canoe, better than her parents. But she hankers for what she reads about in the gossip magazines she’s scrounged from school. She works at the diner and meets the tourists. She knows there's life 'out there'. Anyone who’s ever worked in a seasonal tourist place will recognise the following.

“The out-of-towners had a thing about calling everybody by name, preserving some ritualized belief in small-town hospitality. They called Mr. Korhonen, the Finnish grocer who wore a crisp white shirt every day of his life, Ed. they called Santa Anna [an older waitress] at the diner, Annie, Anne. Sweetheart.

‘If it isn’t Jim’s girl,’ they said to me, ‘all grown up’. . . complete strangers said this to me, people I’d met maybe twice or three times – years ago, when I was a little kid – back when my dad picked up summer work as a guide. As if they weren’t interchangeable to me, like geese, like birds with their reliably duplicate markings. I marvelled that I could seem so particular and durable to them. So distinct.”


She wants to leave. The countless teens I’ve met mostly say there’s nothing to do 'here' (wherever 'here' is) and wish they were somewhere else where SOMETHING is HAPPENING. I figure teens arguing with parents and being discontent at home is nature’s way of getting them ready to move out and move on. Just a personal pet theory, and it may not be useful these days, since they can't afford to leave. But I digress again. :)

Linda knows most kids don’t have to walk for miles through the snow in the dark to get home if they miss the school bus. If you’ve read or seen Fargo, you will be familiar with the weather. One day, the kids were let out of school early, due to the wind chill factor.

“I made my way home from the bus stop at a rigid trot. I crunched along the snowpacked trail, felt the wind come off the lake in blasts, heard the pines groan and creak overhead. Halfway up the hill, my lungs started to feel raggedy. My face changed into something other than face, got rubbed out. When I finally got to the top of the hill, when I slowed down to brush the ice from my nose, I saw a puff of exhaust across our lake. I had to squint against all that white to make it out.”


It turns out to be the car of a summer family, back for a winter stay. Parents with a little boy. Linda begins watching them with binoculars from the roof of her dad’s shed. Thus begins the main story.

She makes friends and soon becomes little Paul’s babysitter. She’s intrigued by the fact that they are all 11 years apart in age: Paul is 4, she is 15, Patra is 26, Leo the dad is 37. And I noticed that she says she is writing this at 37, whether or not that has any significance. But she does like to connect the dots, literally and figuratively.

She plays with and entertains Paul for hours, getting to know Patra, and eventually Leo. They are a most peculiar pair of people, and their behaviour is strained and tense around her, with overtones or undertones of hysteria. She loves Paul and Patra, but is wary of Leo, an obsessive fellow who is a mild-mannered bully. And she enjoys earning money. Patra welcomes Linda whole-heartedly – after all, there’s only 11 years between them – but Leo is a particularly weird duck. You’ll see.

The book picks up more in the second half as we get an inkling of what’s going on with this family. And that’s interesting.

But I didn’t care for the stories about classmate Lily and Mr Grierson, a teacher for whom she did a History of Wolves presentation, winning a prize for Originality. And I had no interest at all in her older life with the mechanic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted, so quotes may have changed.

3.5 rounded up.

This is a haunting story of a young woman recalling events and circumstances in her life when she was 14. Madeline/Maddie/Linda is raised in a commune and living in the deserted remains of it in a cabin in northern Minnesota . She lives with her parents (and she's not even sure they are her parents), but what is clear is that Linda is an outsider. She's called freak at school and doesn't seem to connect with anyone or anything except the nature around her and much later we learn the only real human connection she had was with a little girl who was in the commune when she was much younger. So it is not a surprise that she jumps at the chance to be part of something that seems normal at first, a family who moves in across the lake . Telling us her story as an adult, the narrative moved around in time, but mostly it's about what happens when she's 14 . There was a sadness about her from the beginning and she seems aware even as a teenager of how the circumstances of her life have shaped her, but it wasn't until towards the end that I realized that even as an adult, what happened in the past will always impact who she is .

There are several threads and I had trouble trying to understand how they were related but in the end the connection of these threads - the teacher and Lily , the family whose religious views bring devastating consequences for their little boy, and Linda's upbringing all reflect what I saw as central to the novel - Linda's loneliness and her desire to have some normalcy in her life, to be cared about, to be recognized for herself. But throughout she remains on the sidelines observing , wanting to be included, wanting to be loved . I'm not sure if I had to explain the ending that I could do that . But what I am sure of is that this is a well written, thought provoking story and I will watch for other books by this debut author.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Grove Atlantic through NetGalley.

Unfortunately, it took me a really long time to get through this book. While I think the author has a promising career as a literary writer--expounding on descriptions of places, people, and things--I felt that the complete story was too fragmented to have a main focus. I don't expect every book to have a theme, but I felt there were too many stories that the narrator delved into without much of an outcome. Ultimately, I felt this was the story of a very lost young woman who doesn't know her true identity, feels guilt for the death of a child, and is obsessed with a sexual abuse case. After repeating the cycle of living alone on the land she grew up in, I was left wondering if the protagonist suffered from a mental health problem. But that was not made clear.

An unsettling novel that is harsh, at times even brutal, and sometimes beautiful in unexpected places. I didn't understand the ending of the story which left me feeling I was lacking in something rather than the other way round.

A suspenseful, page turning tale that is a coming of age, beautiful imagery, delves deep into the ideas of guilt and identity and secrets and faith.
The structure that wanders back and forth in time at times is confusing but ultimately just adds to the suspense and slow unravelling of the story.
There are a few things I had problems with, her portrayal of a four year old I found myself questioning whether he was believable as that age. She does touch on some subjects that some may find her handling of questionable, but overall I thought it was a well written and compelling debut.(I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.)

Best book I have read in the past year. Stunning writing and atmospheric setting and psychologically acute characters with gradual, suspenseful reveal.

Wow that was dark. An excellent debut novel but all things considered it seemed to disjointed for me. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the darker side of humanity.

This book was different from my expectations - when I saw the description I expected it to be a "cult" novel in the vein of The Girls, but it is a quieter and more character-driven novel about a small-town misfit. Although I found it quite slow-moving I was captivated by the character development and distinct voice. Not a book for those who want lots of drama in their fiction but I can see it will be very beguiling for the right reader.

While I enjoyed the set-up of the book immensely and found the initial presentation of the protagonist and setting intriguing, this book didn't really sing for me. There was no new information given to the reader in the entire second half of the book, so the ending (which we are told on the firt page) joylessly unfolds itself without offering any tension. Most of the characters seemed flat and interchangeable and there was really not enough story content to keep me gripped.

The promise of something sinister about to happen keeps the reader turning page after page.