Once There Were Wolves

I came to this book as a journalist and science writer writing about wolves, but if I were still a literature teacher, this book would be on my syllabus for the beauty, specificity and elegance of the writing. The book is thought-provoking--a deep dive into big ideas like rewilding and wolf reintroduction--but it is also a taut narrative blending individual stories together into a gripping story of loss and discovery and hope for a better future. And while I loved the story, it is the language that will remain with me long after the specifics of the plot have slipped… show more.

With a killer of a first sentence, this novel clenched me by the throat and wouldn’t let go.

The main character, Inti, a biologist with a rare neurological understanding of touch, sets out with three colleagues to rewild northern Scotland by reintroducing fourteen wolves into the environment. Once lush with woodlands providing cover and sustenance for native wildlife, the hills are now bare and tame.

Though a naturalist at heart, I didn’t fully realize the importance of Alpha predators to the environment. As Inti struggles to win over the local sheep farmers while protecting the wolves (and one breeding pair… show more.

My final selection was surprising in all the best ways. It is the story of conservationist Inti Flynn and her quest to reintroduce wolves to the Scottish Highlands, hoping to save the crumbling ecosystem while she struggles with the collapse of her own life. What makes this story special is that it not only evokes empathy for the wolves, it also emphasizes the connections we have to the earth and to each other, and how our individual, often trauma-informed decisions have cascading and unintended effects. The whole story is an allegory for the environmental balance that is essential for survival,… show more.

I’ve been a fan of Australian author Charlotte McConaghy since reading her first novel, Migrations—and Once There Were Wolves is just as beautifully written and page-turning, with the same reverence for nature and its creatures. The novel is about biologist Inti Flynn, who leads a team in Scotland to reintroduce gray wolves to the Highlands, bringing along her identical twin, Aggie. Like the wolves, Inti and Aggie are closely bonded, instinctually and fiercely protective of each other. Aggie has suffered a trauma, and Inti herself lives with a condition called “mirror-touch synesthesia,” in which her brain causes her body… show more.