The Tenderness of Wolves
http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm?book_number=1992
by Stef Penney
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stef_Penney
Historical Fiction Fall, 1867 Canada
A man is dead. An adolescent child is missing. A mother comes to the realization of her many failures as a parent and she is ravished with pain. A father faces his shortcomings and turns his pain into anger. The community is atwitter with suspicion. Enter the intrigues of the fur trade complete with enough corruption for several men. Add the loneliness and cold of the artic, a dash of secret homosexuality, a seventeen year old unsolved murder, and rumors of an ancient civilization. What a tale!
As the mother braves the frozen north in the company of men she doesn’t know, she learns about herself, her relationship with her husband and the complexities of motherhood. She learns trust under the most cruel of circumstances. In many ways, this is her story.
What I didn’t like:
I can’t think of a thing that I didn’t like. It was an intense page-turner for me.
What I liked:
I was intrigued by the story format. The story was told in turns from various points of view, but only the mother was allowed first person status.
I enjoyed the subplot of the ancient American Indian civilization.
I thought the homosexuality theme was handled with grace. It was not an add-on; it was central to the story.
The author made the setting and time come alive. Although she says that she has never visited Canada, she certainly understands cold and loneliness on a deep level.
http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/FurTradeCanada.htm
