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Inside the Wolf
This haunting and timely novel explores the true costs of tradition, secrets, and Southern mythmaking through the lens of an accidental shooting that reverberates across generations.
Rachel Ruskin never intended to return to her family's tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. But when her academic career studying Southern folklore in New York City flames out, she has no choice. Back home, her parents killed in a car accident, her beloved brother Garland dead by suicide, she is left alone, haunted by the memories of the accidental gun death of her childhood best friend; and haunted by the ghosts of secrecy, of tainted soil, of wolves and witches and untold stories.
When another child in the community is accidentally killed by a gun, however, she can no longer keep her own memories at a distance, her family secrets buried. How can the people of Shiloh carry on—with their cherished love of hunting and guns, and with the loss of more children at the same time? Drawn back into the rhythms of Shiloh and in search of family and a place to belong, Rachel must acknowledge the culture she comes from, the people and the traditions she grew up with, and at the same time also question those traditions and the perniciousness of guns.
Rich with the rhythms of rural life and the landscape of the South, Inside the Wolf is a fierce, lyrical, and gorgeously redemptive novel about the myths of masculinity, guns, violence—and ultimately, the American past.
Rachel Ruskin never intended to return to her family's tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. But when her academic career studying Southern folklore in New York City flames out, she has no choice. Back home, her parents killed in a car accident, her beloved brother Garland dead by suicide, she is left alone, haunted by the memories of the accidental gun death of her childhood best friend; and haunted by the ghosts of secrecy, of tainted soil, of wolves and witches and untold stories.
When another child in the community is accidentally killed by a gun, however, she can no longer keep her own memories at a distance, her family secrets buried. How can the people of Shiloh carry on—with their cherished love of hunting and guns, and with the loss of more children at the same time? Drawn back into the rhythms of Shiloh and in search of family and a place to belong, Rachel must acknowledge the culture she comes from, the people and the traditions she grew up with, and at the same time also question those traditions and the perniciousness of guns.
Rich with the rhythms of rural life and the landscape of the South, Inside the Wolf is a fierce, lyrical, and gorgeously redemptive novel about the myths of masculinity, guns, violence—and ultimately, the American past.
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First published July 11, 2023
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About the author
Amy Rowland
3 books82 followersAmy Rowland's writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn and is a staff editor at The New York Times Book Review. The Transcriptionist is her first novel, and she does not know why she hasn't written others by now.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 14, 2023
3.5⭐️
“We are born innocent. Then life has its way with us.”
Forty-two-year-old Rachel Ruskin returns to her hometown of Shiloh, North Carolina after a disappointing development brings her career in academics to a standstill. Unemployed and alone after the death of her parents in a recent accident and her brother’s suicide some months earlier and now back in her childhood home in the farming community she grew up in, Rachel is haunted by the ghosts of her past and the memories of a traumatic incident from her childhood that resulted in the death of her best friend. Rachel sees that not much has changed in the community – the stories, the way of life, the attitude toward hunting, gun ownership and much more. When tragedy rocks the community, Rachel decides to take the initiative to exact change in the way her community functions in terms of guns and safety, especially in the case of children. That means taking ownership of past actions and reconciling with the secrets that haunted her own family. But in the Southern community set its ways, proud of the traditions, culture and beliefs that have been passed down from generations, how well will Rachel’s efforts be accepted?
“That we create these alternative lives for ourselves so we won’t have to face the pain and disappointment of reality….. Often without realizing. Even if we do recognize our own life-lie, we can’t necessarily change it. Acknowledging the lie might alter the course of your life, or destroy it.”
Timely and relevant, Inside the Wolf by Amy Rowland is an emotionally heavy read. The author tackles sensitive issues with compassion. The characters and the setting are well-depicted as is Rachel’s internal conflict. While I appreciated the premise of the novel, I found the ending a tad rushed. I also felt that Rachel’s character development stagnated after a point and needed to be explored in more depth. However, the author has a powerful voice and the writing is beautiful and expressive. I would be interested in exploring more of Amy Rowland’s work.
Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Please note that the story has descriptions of the death of children from gunshot wounds, hunting and animal deaths.
“We are born innocent. Then life has its way with us.”
Forty-two-year-old Rachel Ruskin returns to her hometown of Shiloh, North Carolina after a disappointing development brings her career in academics to a standstill. Unemployed and alone after the death of her parents in a recent accident and her brother’s suicide some months earlier and now back in her childhood home in the farming community she grew up in, Rachel is haunted by the ghosts of her past and the memories of a traumatic incident from her childhood that resulted in the death of her best friend. Rachel sees that not much has changed in the community – the stories, the way of life, the attitude toward hunting, gun ownership and much more. When tragedy rocks the community, Rachel decides to take the initiative to exact change in the way her community functions in terms of guns and safety, especially in the case of children. That means taking ownership of past actions and reconciling with the secrets that haunted her own family. But in the Southern community set its ways, proud of the traditions, culture and beliefs that have been passed down from generations, how well will Rachel’s efforts be accepted?
“That we create these alternative lives for ourselves so we won’t have to face the pain and disappointment of reality….. Often without realizing. Even if we do recognize our own life-lie, we can’t necessarily change it. Acknowledging the lie might alter the course of your life, or destroy it.”
Timely and relevant, Inside the Wolf by Amy Rowland is an emotionally heavy read. The author tackles sensitive issues with compassion. The characters and the setting are well-depicted as is Rachel’s internal conflict. While I appreciated the premise of the novel, I found the ending a tad rushed. I also felt that Rachel’s character development stagnated after a point and needed to be explored in more depth. However, the author has a powerful voice and the writing is beautiful and expressive. I would be interested in exploring more of Amy Rowland’s work.
Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Please note that the story has descriptions of the death of children from gunshot wounds, hunting and animal deaths.
August 24, 2024
Inside The Wolf
by Amy Rowland
Inside The Wolf is a tough read with heavy themes about gun violence and accidental
shooting. I enjoyed the voice of Rachel the narrator who comes to grip with her past, back to her family’s tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. It is a story about community, traumas, and salvation. This is such a touching story that I’m still thinking about to this day.
by Amy Rowland
Inside The Wolf is a tough read with heavy themes about gun violence and accidental
shooting. I enjoyed the voice of Rachel the narrator who comes to grip with her past, back to her family’s tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. It is a story about community, traumas, and salvation. This is such a touching story that I’m still thinking about to this day.
September 20, 2023
Genre: Southern Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pub. Date: July 11, 2023
Martie's Rating" 3 1/2 Stars
As the novel states, “We are born innocent. Then life has its way with us.” This is a poetically written novel about a woman haunted by her southern roots. Rachel Ruskin is our 42-year-old protagonist—a childhood trauma led to Rachel’s lifelong guilt over her involvement with guns as a girl. At the NY university where she taught, her dissertation, “From Folklore to…The Myth of White Purity in Southern Tales,” was not well received, and she was denied tenure. After her academic career is over, Rachel loses her parents soon after her brother commits suicide by putting a gun to his head in her hometown of Shiloh, North Carolina. The novel explores the tragic events caused by the good old boys’ firearms. After these deaths, her family’s tobacco farm is now unattended, so Rachel must return to where she ran away from as soon as she graduated high school. In Shiloh, the townspeople all know each other’s secrets and pretend they do not. Rachel’s homecoming turns into a reckoning.
As in Rachel’s dissertation, Southern folklore—ghosts, witches, and wolves— frequently fills Rowland’s story’s pages. In Shiloh, she runs across wolves in a literal sense. I had a hunch that the wolves were symbols, but I had to use Google to find out that “a wolf is a symbol of guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit.” This sounds like the good side of southern living, aside from the word “ritual.” In Shiloh, 12-year-old boys are given guns as birthday presents. The author never shies away from Shiloh's violent history. But, Rowland ensures that the reader knows that southern life had its much good along with the bad. At the age of 42, it took another tragic accidental death of a child before Rachel declared that giving up guns is giving up the ghosts.
The author does a commendable job of incorporating difficult subjects without detracting from the protagonist’s quest to reconnect with her roots in a positive manner. However, it was unnecessary to throw in a romance, even if it did not take up much space in the story. Sometimes, the anti-gun message came off as a bit preachy. Still, moralizing is not such a bad thing considering the topic. The story ended wrapped up in a bow. This is something I never appreciate in novels. Still, I recommend “Inside the Wolf,” but go in knowing the tale should have a trigger warning. You will read about the intense grief as the parent characters digest the finality of never seeing their child again.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c...
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Pub. Date: July 11, 2023
Martie's Rating" 3 1/2 Stars
As the novel states, “We are born innocent. Then life has its way with us.” This is a poetically written novel about a woman haunted by her southern roots. Rachel Ruskin is our 42-year-old protagonist—a childhood trauma led to Rachel’s lifelong guilt over her involvement with guns as a girl. At the NY university where she taught, her dissertation, “From Folklore to…The Myth of White Purity in Southern Tales,” was not well received, and she was denied tenure. After her academic career is over, Rachel loses her parents soon after her brother commits suicide by putting a gun to his head in her hometown of Shiloh, North Carolina. The novel explores the tragic events caused by the good old boys’ firearms. After these deaths, her family’s tobacco farm is now unattended, so Rachel must return to where she ran away from as soon as she graduated high school. In Shiloh, the townspeople all know each other’s secrets and pretend they do not. Rachel’s homecoming turns into a reckoning.
As in Rachel’s dissertation, Southern folklore—ghosts, witches, and wolves— frequently fills Rowland’s story’s pages. In Shiloh, she runs across wolves in a literal sense. I had a hunch that the wolves were symbols, but I had to use Google to find out that “a wolf is a symbol of guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit.” This sounds like the good side of southern living, aside from the word “ritual.” In Shiloh, 12-year-old boys are given guns as birthday presents. The author never shies away from Shiloh's violent history. But, Rowland ensures that the reader knows that southern life had its much good along with the bad. At the age of 42, it took another tragic accidental death of a child before Rachel declared that giving up guns is giving up the ghosts.
The author does a commendable job of incorporating difficult subjects without detracting from the protagonist’s quest to reconnect with her roots in a positive manner. However, it was unnecessary to throw in a romance, even if it did not take up much space in the story. Sometimes, the anti-gun message came off as a bit preachy. Still, moralizing is not such a bad thing considering the topic. The story ended wrapped up in a bow. This is something I never appreciate in novels. Still, I recommend “Inside the Wolf,” but go in knowing the tale should have a trigger warning. You will read about the intense grief as the parent characters digest the finality of never seeing their child again.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c...
September 8, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Algonquin Books for accepting my request to read and review Inside the Wolf.
Overall an interesting story, however, long. Repeatedly the characters pretend their business is private and the whole town is oblivious. This is not the case; the townspeople all know each others secrets. I was bored with this concept before I picked up the book.
The story centers around a southern small town, and the one that got away and came back. Rachel fights demons when she returns, those include external and internal. She carries guilt, secrets and lies. While home an incident occurs that is similar to one from her childhood. This prompts her to face herself metaphorically.
All-in-all, the ending fell flat and short.
Overall an interesting story, however, long. Repeatedly the characters pretend their business is private and the whole town is oblivious. This is not the case; the townspeople all know each others secrets. I was bored with this concept before I picked up the book.
The story centers around a southern small town, and the one that got away and came back. Rachel fights demons when she returns, those include external and internal. She carries guilt, secrets and lies. While home an incident occurs that is similar to one from her childhood. This prompts her to face herself metaphorically.
All-in-all, the ending fell flat and short.
May 23, 2023
I received an ARC from Goodreads ❤️
This is a heavy book that confronts the reality of the South’s history and culture, reflecting on how for years, those of us that live here have created myths about our own history to soften the brutal blow of its truth. The story ultimately is about facing and grieving painful history—not just our country’s history, but our own personal history. It’s about connecting with other people who hold the same grief as you, and helping each other through it.
There is not much plot here, but I think that’s okay. So much of the book is Rachel returning home, suppressing grief, and reflecting on her and her community’s past. I would have liked to see some more aspects fleshed out, such as Rachel’s failed (dissertation), and I didn’t really understand the significance of the wolves/ coywolves or why they were such a focus. Overall, the story gave me a lot to think about while I was reading it, but I don’t think it’s very memorable now, after the fact.
This is a heavy book that confronts the reality of the South’s history and culture, reflecting on how for years, those of us that live here have created myths about our own history to soften the brutal blow of its truth. The story ultimately is about facing and grieving painful history—not just our country’s history, but our own personal history. It’s about connecting with other people who hold the same grief as you, and helping each other through it.
There is not much plot here, but I think that’s okay. So much of the book is Rachel returning home, suppressing grief, and reflecting on her and her community’s past. I would have liked to see some more aspects fleshed out, such as Rachel’s failed (dissertation), and I didn’t really understand the significance of the wolves/ coywolves or why they were such a focus. Overall, the story gave me a lot to think about while I was reading it, but I don’t think it’s very memorable now, after the fact.
June 18, 2023
This is a poetically written novel about a woman haunted by the past. It's a timely look at the South's perception of guns and community. To those who are sensitive to animal distress, do know that there are disturbing scenes in this book but for once, I do see why these scenes were included by the author. I have long had this author's debut book, "The Transcriptionist", on my TBR list and wish I had gotten to it sooner. That one will be next.
Thank you, LibraryThing, for this giveaway contest.
Thank you, LibraryThing, for this giveaway contest.
April 22, 2023
Talk about atmospheric writing! The quality of the prose in this story took my breath away, and I was fully immersed in the setting and the intensity of the stakes with every page. The themes covered were equally original and important. This quote shows one of them, "Our folk tales and ghost stories are the way we instruct, the way we warn, the way we choose to remember--or forget--our history of violence." Wow! This story struck a nerve and gave me plenty to think about. Prepare to be both dazzled and challenged by this literary piece of art.
Throughout the first half or two-thirds of the book, I thought it could end up being one of the best books I've ever read. Unfortunately, the place it ended up gave me mixed feelings, and I think there were some missed opportunities. But the craft elements and writing style were fantastic.
Throughout the first half or two-thirds of the book, I thought it could end up being one of the best books I've ever read. Unfortunately, the place it ended up gave me mixed feelings, and I think there were some missed opportunities. But the craft elements and writing style were fantastic.
October 22, 2023
Rachel Ruskin is a middle-aged southern woman who returns home to the family farm some time after her brother commits suicide and more recently after her parents die in a car accident. Lonely, haunted, friendless, out of a job and unable to decide if she wants to keep and work the farm or sell it and get the hell away once again. Troubled by the distance she and her family had from each other and the accidental shooting death of her best friend when they were children, she soon becomes faced with her unintentional part in the shooting death of another child. She is also torn by the connection to Tobias, a former boyfriend, who rents part of her parents' farmland and the discovery that her brother and his girlfriend who recently had a child. This fairly short book covers so many subjects as mentioned above including racism, violence, family secrets, and gun control. A well written and hard to set down book. I probably read most of it in the last sitting. I would recommend it to most people although some may find it boring or uninteresting. Thank you to Goodreads for the free copy to read and review.
March 27, 2025
I wanted it to be deep and thoughtful but found it rambling
December 26, 2025
oof. Haunting, sad, and poignant. I love my professor
January 25, 2024
Coming home to face the truth
The author holds a nice pace with descriptions of the surroundings that make up “Home” playing into the character’s eventual understanding of past events in a small town as well as why people (including herself) have such differing responses. Trigger warning— Contains: guns/shootings but not gory details.
The author holds a nice pace with descriptions of the surroundings that make up “Home” playing into the character’s eventual understanding of past events in a small town as well as why people (including herself) have such differing responses. Trigger warning— Contains: guns/shootings but not gory details.
February 12, 2023
Wow. This book is intense and heartbreaking. It's about the secrets between family and small towns and the trauma that leads to. Very powerful!!
Triggers:
Gun death
Suicide
Child death
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Triggers:
Gun death
Suicide
Child death
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!
March 22, 2023
Inside the Wolf is a hauntingly beautiful yet sad look at Southern culture and the myths and lies that people tell themselves in order to be part of the community and survive. It is a retrospective look at Rachel Ruskin’s life from the horrible accident during her childhood that forever changed her life to the time she decides to leave her academic career in NYC and return to the
small North Carolina farming community where she was raised. She must decide if she can accept the way things are and work slowly to change things without becoming more of an outcast than she already is. A must read for fans of Wiley Cash.
small North Carolina farming community where she was raised. She must decide if she can accept the way things are and work slowly to change things without becoming more of an outcast than she already is. A must read for fans of Wiley Cash.
April 22, 2023
**NO SPOILERS**
"It is impossible to think of the future here, because it is impossible to think of it changed." (132) Rachel Ruskin has lived a dual life--her roots and history in southern soil, and her mind and aspirations in New York City. This novel is remarkable in evoking Rachel's conflicts with navigating this great divide. It has kept her at a distance from both places and her own feelings. This gives her character a sense of roaming and searching for her one true home, a place she belongs. This story is about culture and family and a history of heartbreak arising from secrets, lies, and an enduring mindset of "the ways things are." And the hometown she returns to is deeply informed by the ways things were.
Rachel wants to reconcile the tremendous guilt and shame that she has carried for nearly her entire life and wants to find a sense of justice, or at least the hope that things can change for the better. She desires to be a catalyst - redeeming herself while improving the world she grew up in. But that past is also, very much, the present and it's a formidable, seemingly immovable character in itself.
The way things are.
Amy Rowland paints rich and layered characters throughout the novel, relatable, broken, incredibly human. She brings the senses alive with her descriptions of setting -- the dirt, both real and metaphorical, simply will not wash off. She recreates those childhood days with best friends, living out adventures and dares, the captivation of myths and the wonder of lightning bugs -- and how precious it all is.
The before and the after of significant events. "'We create these alternative lives for ourselves so we won't have to face the pain and disappointment of reality.'" (79) It's a fine line between a "life-lie" and a lifeline, and the former may just lead us to the latter.
The novel speaks to the stifling and dangerous repetition of cultural traditions; the stories are so deeply ingrained over generations, that the threat of change becomes more fear-inducing than any real-life events. 'Inside the Wolf' is a timely novel and speaks to the monumental efforts and perseverance it takes to change "the way things are" when they are clearly no longer the way things need to be - for the greater good and, especially, for our children and our future.
Amy Rowland is a favorite writer of mine (please read The Transcriptionist if you have not!!), and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to receive an ARC and write this review. This book will be available 7/11/23. A small good thing to anticipate in the midst of an unsettling world!!
"It is impossible to think of the future here, because it is impossible to think of it changed." (132) Rachel Ruskin has lived a dual life--her roots and history in southern soil, and her mind and aspirations in New York City. This novel is remarkable in evoking Rachel's conflicts with navigating this great divide. It has kept her at a distance from both places and her own feelings. This gives her character a sense of roaming and searching for her one true home, a place she belongs. This story is about culture and family and a history of heartbreak arising from secrets, lies, and an enduring mindset of "the ways things are." And the hometown she returns to is deeply informed by the ways things were.
Rachel wants to reconcile the tremendous guilt and shame that she has carried for nearly her entire life and wants to find a sense of justice, or at least the hope that things can change for the better. She desires to be a catalyst - redeeming herself while improving the world she grew up in. But that past is also, very much, the present and it's a formidable, seemingly immovable character in itself.
The way things are.
Amy Rowland paints rich and layered characters throughout the novel, relatable, broken, incredibly human. She brings the senses alive with her descriptions of setting -- the dirt, both real and metaphorical, simply will not wash off. She recreates those childhood days with best friends, living out adventures and dares, the captivation of myths and the wonder of lightning bugs -- and how precious it all is.
The before and the after of significant events. "'We create these alternative lives for ourselves so we won't have to face the pain and disappointment of reality.'" (79) It's a fine line between a "life-lie" and a lifeline, and the former may just lead us to the latter.
The novel speaks to the stifling and dangerous repetition of cultural traditions; the stories are so deeply ingrained over generations, that the threat of change becomes more fear-inducing than any real-life events. 'Inside the Wolf' is a timely novel and speaks to the monumental efforts and perseverance it takes to change "the way things are" when they are clearly no longer the way things need to be - for the greater good and, especially, for our children and our future.
Amy Rowland is a favorite writer of mine (please read The Transcriptionist if you have not!!), and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to receive an ARC and write this review. This book will be available 7/11/23. A small good thing to anticipate in the midst of an unsettling world!!
September 8, 2023
{Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this book!}
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4
I enjoyed this book- it's really well-written and had enough substance to make me want to read on. I'm not sure exactly how memorable it will be for me, but I did appreciate all of its strong themes, including family and history, small town Southern life, and gun violence.
After the death of her brother and then, not long after, her parents, Rachel is forced to return from her life in NYC to her family's tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. Is she just there to get everything settled and figure out a plan for the farm or is she there for the long-term? In case you're wondering, it makes a big difference to the rest of the people in the town (most who she knows from her childhood) as they don't take well to people from the big city who think they're better than them. Not only is Rachel struggling with her return and the deaths of her family members, but she's also still keeping a secret from her childhood.
I'm not generally big on trigger warnings, but I do feel like I should note a major trigger warning for animal death and suffering. It's not gratuitous and it does feel necessary to the story Rowland is telling, but it's not always easy to read and if you're sensitive to this, you might want to stay away.
This is a pretty short book and a quick read!
3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4
I enjoyed this book- it's really well-written and had enough substance to make me want to read on. I'm not sure exactly how memorable it will be for me, but I did appreciate all of its strong themes, including family and history, small town Southern life, and gun violence.
After the death of her brother and then, not long after, her parents, Rachel is forced to return from her life in NYC to her family's tobacco farm in Shiloh, North Carolina. Is she just there to get everything settled and figure out a plan for the farm or is she there for the long-term? In case you're wondering, it makes a big difference to the rest of the people in the town (most who she knows from her childhood) as they don't take well to people from the big city who think they're better than them. Not only is Rachel struggling with her return and the deaths of her family members, but she's also still keeping a secret from her childhood.
I'm not generally big on trigger warnings, but I do feel like I should note a major trigger warning for animal death and suffering. It's not gratuitous and it does feel necessary to the story Rowland is telling, but it's not always easy to read and if you're sensitive to this, you might want to stay away.
This is a pretty short book and a quick read!
May 17, 2023
Inside the wolf - Amy Roland
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
I'm this story a teacher in NYC doesn't get tenure so she returns to her family home (which her parents left her when they died.
Along with the home, she also receives the family's struggling tobacco farm.
As the story proceeds, we learn a few dark secrets and the people in this small town already know the truth about the secret that Rachelle Ruskin has kept all these years.
Have the town people forgiven her for lying to them? Can Rachel learn to forgive herself, for allowing her brother to take responsibility for an accident that deeply impacted how the community as well as her self-image?
Read this wonderfully well-written, atmospheric novel to discover the answers to these questions and more!
I really enjoyed this book, both the present situations as well as when the author revisited the past. I immediately purchased her other novel, The Transcriptionist after I completed this story.
Until next time, when you chose to judge yourself, remember to give yourself at East as much leeway as you would give someone else who finds themselves in a similar situation...
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
I'm this story a teacher in NYC doesn't get tenure so she returns to her family home (which her parents left her when they died.
Along with the home, she also receives the family's struggling tobacco farm.
As the story proceeds, we learn a few dark secrets and the people in this small town already know the truth about the secret that Rachelle Ruskin has kept all these years.
Have the town people forgiven her for lying to them? Can Rachel learn to forgive herself, for allowing her brother to take responsibility for an accident that deeply impacted how the community as well as her self-image?
Read this wonderfully well-written, atmospheric novel to discover the answers to these questions and more!
I really enjoyed this book, both the present situations as well as when the author revisited the past. I immediately purchased her other novel, The Transcriptionist after I completed this story.
Until next time, when you chose to judge yourself, remember to give yourself at East as much leeway as you would give someone else who finds themselves in a similar situation...
July 9, 2023
I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you.
I was thinking this book would draw me in, but it didn't. It had great potential to be a powerful book, but I found the main character, Rachel, to be wishy washy, or something. I found that I didn't really understand what was driving her, what was holding her back other than simply inertia, not having the will to really change.
Rachel was brought up in the rural south, and when she was very young, her best friend was killed in an accidental gun accident, which is all too common in communities where guns are around and a way of life. Her family takes responsibility, and that's it, no more talking about it. This sets the family down a path of simmering resentments, and misunderstandings, they don't talk or feel. She leaves to study in NYC, as a writer, but clearly never fits in, yet she's been gone long enough not to fit in at home...basically she doesn't know who she is or who she wants to be.
After the death of her parents, she returns home, she tries to open up to those around her, but never really does so in an honest way, she's very self centered.
I was thinking this book would draw me in, but it didn't. It had great potential to be a powerful book, but I found the main character, Rachel, to be wishy washy, or something. I found that I didn't really understand what was driving her, what was holding her back other than simply inertia, not having the will to really change.
Rachel was brought up in the rural south, and when she was very young, her best friend was killed in an accidental gun accident, which is all too common in communities where guns are around and a way of life. Her family takes responsibility, and that's it, no more talking about it. This sets the family down a path of simmering resentments, and misunderstandings, they don't talk or feel. She leaves to study in NYC, as a writer, but clearly never fits in, yet she's been gone long enough not to fit in at home...basically she doesn't know who she is or who she wants to be.
After the death of her parents, she returns home, she tries to open up to those around her, but never really does so in an honest way, she's very self centered.
May 20, 2023
Rachel has returned home after a devastating year - her brother has died followed by both of her parents leaving her the last of the family and the farm. She leaves her disappointing past in New York for the tobacco farms of North Carolina and all her childhood mistakes come back to haunt her. As she tries to reconcile and find redemption for her part in the death of a friend another tragedy strikes. Guns play a part in all of it but she finds great resistance from the locals who don't want their right to bear arms taken away. Part of it is a necessity to protect themselves, part of it is their hunting heritage and an invasion of their privacy but those in control see little reason to change. Family, coming of age and redemption are all strong themes making this a story that will resonate with readers of DAVID COPPERHEAD and other stories of rural America. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
February 16, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review. The premise of this book has incredible potential. Exploring themes of Southern myth making that hides the truth- I would say sign me up. It centers around a childhood gun accident and its long last effects. It’s sadly something too many of us, especially in the South, know of well. But this just feels unrealized and clumsy. It tries to take on so many complex issues- guns, race, home, identity, religion, the nature of truth- and it ends up feeling scattered. The way the author approaches race especially feels like an afterthought. Jewel and Palmer could have been much more fleshed out and realized. I would have loved if more Black American folklore was incorporated. Ultimately, what made me finish this book was the hope for more folklore (I did enjoy the Witch Bride a lot) and caring about what happened to Tom.
July 27, 2023
When Rachel Rankin returns to her family home in North Carolina, she leaves behind a failed academic career in New York. Her parents and only sibling, Garland, are all deceased, so she moves into a home that carries many memories. She also carries a memory of the death of her best friend, Rufus, who died when they were children. His death also brings with it a secret that has haunted her for many years. She slowly adapts into the small town she left behind with many challenges, especially when she learns that the community is aware of why she has so much guilt. Children's exposure to guns is a cause that goes to the heart of her guilt.
Thank you to LibraryThing and to Algonquin for the opportunity to review. this ARC.
Thank you to LibraryThing and to Algonquin for the opportunity to review. this ARC.
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August 28, 2023SEE FULL REVIEW ON ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION WEBSITE:
"Firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death for American children in 2020, according to the National Institute of Health. Author Amy Rowland addresses a harrowing subset of this national tragedy, child-on-child gun violence, in her probing work of Southern fiction “Inside the Wolf.” Through the eyes of a woman who has shunned her roots, Rowland excavates the generational impact of two shootings — 30 years apart — in a small North Carolina town, while taking a deep look into the culture that allows this tragedy to proliferate..."
https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/disp...
"Firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death for American children in 2020, according to the National Institute of Health. Author Amy Rowland addresses a harrowing subset of this national tragedy, child-on-child gun violence, in her probing work of Southern fiction “Inside the Wolf.” Through the eyes of a woman who has shunned her roots, Rowland excavates the generational impact of two shootings — 30 years apart — in a small North Carolina town, while taking a deep look into the culture that allows this tragedy to proliferate..."
https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/disp...
February 4, 2024
I found this to be a really good read. The main character is returning to the home that she ran from in her youth after the trauma that she has lived through. The past year has brought it all full circle to her and she needs to find a way to deal with her past and figure out how to move forward. There was a lot to unpack with this book and I really wish the main character was a little more firm in her beliefs and actions. The indecisiveness really took away from the book in parts, especially when she was trying to grow. There was so much of this book that was heartbreaking and traumatic. I ended up really liking the tie in to the wolf and southern folklore and how this was presented. Thanks for the ARC, Goodreads.
July 6, 2023
This was a chilling and powerful read.
When Rachel was a child, her best friend was killed from a firearm accident. Twenty years later, Rachel returns to her small, southern, religious, gun toting township to tend to her family's farm. When another child is killed due to a firearm accident, and once again, no one is held responsible, Rachel decides that someone needs to act.
The township does not take kindly to being told they handle their firearms responsibly.
This book was not my usual genre, but I devoured it in a day. I found it to be gripping, powerful and tragic.
Thank you to Algonquin books for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Rachel was a child, her best friend was killed from a firearm accident. Twenty years later, Rachel returns to her small, southern, religious, gun toting township to tend to her family's farm. When another child is killed due to a firearm accident, and once again, no one is held responsible, Rachel decides that someone needs to act.
The township does not take kindly to being told they handle their firearms responsibly.
This book was not my usual genre, but I devoured it in a day. I found it to be gripping, powerful and tragic.
Thank you to Algonquin books for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2023
Rachael returns to her family tobacco farm in North Carolina after being denied tenure in NYC. Returning to the farm of her dead parents and brother, she is faced with the past when her best friend died at the age of 11. Her brother was blamed for shooting the minister's son. What really happened in 1985 and why did it destroy the family? Why do Southerners in small towns cover up what really happened? When a five year old girl is shot by her older brother, Rachael confesses before a town meeting that she was guilty in 1985 hoping to ease the guilt the brother will endure. Should guns be allowed ?
April 11, 2023
Thank you to Algonquin Books for the ARC. This book is available 7/11/23. A gorgeous haunting story of ghosts, history, tragedy, redemption and the landscape. Rachel Ruskin never wanted to return home to her hometown of Shiloh North Carolina. But when a child is accidentally shot and killed she is forced to return back. Back to her own nightmares of a similar fatal accident in her past. This book teams with the suffocating heat of guilt and southern summers, it is marred with fog and cicadas and the memories of our past that resurface, and through it all the wolf only watches.
July 11, 2023
Beautifully written, this book will rattle you, or it should! Rachel is haunted by her past, but through her desires for justice and redemption, a multitude of heavy and timely topics are examined especially gun violence. It also raises the question of why we perpetuate certain cultural and community practices just because they’ve always been done that way.
I closed the book feeling moved yet a little unsettled. Still, I won’t forget these characters anytime soon.
Thank you @algonquinbooks for a gifted copy.
I closed the book feeling moved yet a little unsettled. Still, I won’t forget these characters anytime soon.
Thank you @algonquinbooks for a gifted copy.
July 9, 2024
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received this ARC of “Inside the Wolf” by Amy Rowland, but it exceeded all my expectations. The story follows Rachel as she returns to her rural hometown in North Carolina after the sudden death of her parents and her brother’s suicide. We witness her navigating a world she thought she had left behind, as she learns to reconcile her past and determine her future. There are too many quotable passages to choose from, so instead, I highly encourage others to pick up this easy, engaging book and see for themselves.
April 20, 2023
This book was very well written, I loved the thoughts on the use of folklore especially in small towns, and the idea that a community can have alternate histories for events that they know all about. There were parts that I read in the description that were only mentioned a few times in the book, which was a little disappointing but overall it was easy to read and that led me to finish it rather quickly.
June 12, 2023
Strong literary voice make up for shortcomings in plot and character. As interesting as Rachel is, I can't help but wonder if a few brief chapters from another point of view would have added some needed variety. I digested this slowly, since there was no real tension or question driving me forward - particularly in the third part.
If you are intrigued by the description and enjoy literary fiction, you'll probably like this.
If you are intrigued by the description and enjoy literary fiction, you'll probably like this.
July 5, 2023
I found parts of the book hard to follow. I had reread passages a few times to pick up the gist of the story.
Rachel discovers that as far as she ran away forces pulled her back home and she has to salvage what’s left.
I found Rachel to be peculiar and hard to pin down, even at the end I still didn’t really know her.
I did like the parts about Virginia Dare since that mystery has intrigued me for decades.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin books for the advance copy.
Rachel discovers that as far as she ran away forces pulled her back home and she has to salvage what’s left.
I found Rachel to be peculiar and hard to pin down, even at the end I still didn’t really know her.
I did like the parts about Virginia Dare since that mystery has intrigued me for decades.
Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin books for the advance copy.
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