In addition to being so beautifully written, Charlotte McConaghy’s books are tremendously thought-provoking. Her first book, Migrations, was among the best books I read last year and I won’t be surprised if this book makes this year’s list.
It’s a time in the not-too-distant future when there are few wolves left in the world. Inti is part of a team of biologists who travel to the Scottish highlands to reintroduce 14 wolves into the wild. (Wolves are important to the ecosystem; without predators like them the deer population gets overgrown and they eat all the plants, meaning birds and insects needed to pollinate could go instinct.)
The Scottish people are unhappy about the wolves as they understandably fear for their safety, but wolves don’t attack unless provoked. But when there is a death in town, Inti knows the wolves will be blamed, and she fights to defend them. Could she be wrong, or could it be worse—is there a killer on the loose?
Inti has her own secrets and scars, which cause her to lash out impulsively at times. She also has something called mirror-touch synesthesia, which means that when she’s close to a person or thing, she can quite literally feel their pain. It’s a difficult way to live.
The story flashes back between Inti’s childhood, her time in Alaska where things happened to her and her sister, and the present. This is a violent book at times and those triggered by discussions of rape and violence may find this troubling.
The pacing of Once There Were Wolves is a little slow to start but it’s just such a gorgeous story of redemption and hope—for nature and for humans.
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