Once There Were Wolves

4.5 stars.

A short and very interesting book about re-introducing wolves to native environments to restore the ecosystem, and the push back and problems from the farmers and local communities that come with that endeavor. This book also had a murder mystery and romance element that kept the story going and it played out in chaotic and great way.

4 1/2 STARS
This was one of my August 2021 Book of the Month picks. I simultaneously listened to the Audible version while reading the hardcover. This is a very raw and magical story that covers a lot of territory, but it is short enough to finish in one day. I learned a lot about wolves and the animal nature of humans while reading this book. It was all very interesting and entertaining. I really enjoyed it and would recommend.

I picked this book because it was nominated, and ranked fourth, in the Goodreads Choice Awards for fiction of 2021.
I don't typically read mystery books, neither with such brutal content, but I must admit I really enjoyed this one. The writing is beautiful, and I was so immersed in the story that I just skipped sleeping.

The story follows the life of Inti Flynn and her twin sister Aggie. The events are told combining the present, set in Scotland where Inti is reintroducing wolves to their natural habitat to restore the landscape and ecosystem, and the past set in Alaska.

I enjoyed the parallels between animal and human life and the demonstration that humans are often the most cruel of animals.

The natural aspects of the book are one of its main assets and I loved that it was based on replicating the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone, an experiment that had a cascade of impacts on the ecosystem, namely:
- Elk started moving on the winters
- willow stands recovered from intense browsing
- beaver rediscovered an abundant food source, contributing to its population increase
- beavers spread and built new dams and ponds which provide cold, shaded water for fish, while the now robust willow stands provide habitat for songbirds.

TW: This book is very dark and I would not recommend it to anyone who cannot read acts of violence, either to humans or animals.

Wow...I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one. This was my BOTM pick and usually I don't read them right away. I am glad I didn't wait to read this one.

I love stories about sisters. The relationship between Inti & Aggie is special and deeply connected. Right away, you can feel the love and single-worldliness between them. Ah twins

A book about a team reintroducing wolves back into Scotland to help restore the ecosystem. It's fiction, but does take real-life inspiration from how wolves were successfully reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. The story comes with a side of romance and murder mystery which is not quite as compelling as the wolves, though.

Not a big fan of the ending - it felt absurd that the sister was responsible for killing a grown man, nearly killing another, and killing a dog (the biggest crime of all, tbh) and then she gets away with it, no psychiatric treatment necessary, and conveniently goes off to die in the forest on her own.

The first half of the book I was utterly in love. It was raw, thought-provoking, and moving. I was highlighting left and right. I thought I totally “got” this book and it resonated with me so deeply. Then suddenly the plot completely takes over and overwhelms the writing... well not just one plot but a dozen different but equally overwrought plots working together to weaken and cheapen the depth and meaning. After all the ridiculous twists and turns, the culprit ends up being the exact person you think it is from the beginning which is so frustrating because this book was strong enough to be a great literary work instead of a tawdry thriller. I still rated it highly because it's been a while since a book completely wrecked me emotionally like that, so the writing must be good I guess... even if all the stories ruined it for me at the end.