Fridlund has elegantly crafted a striking protagonist whose dark leanings cap off the tragedy at the heart of this book, which is moving and disturbing, and which will stay with the reader. Her wordsmithing is fantastic, rife with vivid turns of phrase. A sense of foreboding subtly permeates the story as Fridlund slowly reveals what happened to Paul. Fridlund expertly laces Linda’s possessive protectiveness for Patra with something darker, bordering on romantic jealousy. Matters take a curious turn once Patra’s husband, an older man named Leo, returns after months away at work. A compelling portrait of a troubled adolescent trying to find her way in a new and frightening world ( People ), Emily Fridlund’s propulsive and gorgeously written History of Wolves introduces a new writer of enormous range and talent. At the same time, Linda forges a friendship with the comparatively worldly Patra Gardner and her endearing four-year-old, Paul, whom Linda babysits for a summer before his sudden and mysterious death. She’s also fascinated by the scandal that occurs when Lily Holburn, a student at her school, accuses a teacher, Adam Grierson, of inappropriate behavior but then recants her testimony. Having been raised in a commune by unconventional parents, Linda is prone to provocative statements and challenging authority. In Fridlund’s stellar debut novel, 14-year-old Linda, an observant loner growing up in the Minnesota woods, becomes intrigued with the Gardners, the young family that moves in across the lake from her home.Īs she gets to know them, she realizes that something is amiss.
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