Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

 

June Elbus is fourteen and life is not going well.  She is not like the other kids at school and is considered strange.  Her favorite person in the world was her uncle Finn but he unfortunately died of AIDS recently, in an era when that is considered scandalous.  Finn was a famous artist and one of the things he left behind was a portrait of June and her sister Greta.  The portrait would be worth thousands if the family sold but it is a gift to the girls and cherished.

Besides June there is one other person who misses Finn.  Toby was Finn's partner and lived with him for nine years although his existence was hidden from the sisters by their parents who were ashamed of Finn's lifestyle.  They also blame Toby for Finn's illness and portray him to the girls as the worst person imaginable.  Imagine June's surprise when Toby reaches out to her and when after much inner angst, she develops a friendship with Toby.  What will happen if her parents find out?

Carol Rifka Brunt has written a touching coming of age novel that readers won't be able to put down.  Besides losing Finn, June is dealing with a strained relationship with her sister with whom she was once extremely close.  There's a boy at school who might be interested in June and maybe she is interested back.  Readers will be cheering for June and won't be able to stop until they know how everything turns out for her.  The novel is a debut novel and the author hasn't published another in the years since.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.