The Wolf Road

4.25 out of 5 stars – see this review and others here.

This is a stunning debut novel. The story follows Elka, a rugged orphan girl who is on the lam due to her association with the murderous brute who raised her. Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where modernity has been reset to something mirroring the Old West, Elka must traverse a brutal landscape to bring her former caretaker to justice.

The story lives and dies with Elka–she is the narrator, setting a gripping tone that carries the novel. Her outward strength paired with her naiveté of the world makes for a compelling combination. She has little interest in the apocalyptic event that is the basis for her environment, which creates a similar disinterest from the reader and allows the characters to shine.

Author Beth Lewis structures the novel with the opening chapter revealing the ending to the story, but it is a hollow event to the reader. It is not until we reach that same moment again at the end of the novel that we understand how much meaning is imbued in a moment that once meant nothing to us. It is a choice that worked to maximum effect for me and made me appreciate the ride even more.

This is a post-apocalyptic thriller, but the post-apocalyptic aspect is never fully developed (I loved, however, that the historical bombing which created this world is mainly referred to as the “Damn Stupid”). It reads much more like a survival adventure, or a gritty western. The story is dark and grotesque at times, the tension and sense of danger never weakens. I raced through this, at a time when I'm honestly struggling to enjoy reading at all and to stay invested in books, so I can definitely say the pacing was well done. Surprisingly, my favourite part of the whole book was the relationship between Elka and Penelope. I loved how their friendship developed and was really surprised how moved I was by it, when I was so certain that Elka was going to abandon Penelope pretty quickly, and, honestly, would have understood her reasoning if she did.

Minor complaints: parts of the plot were a little straightforward “cat-and-mouse” for my tastes, and sometimes it got a little repetitive, and that the foreshadowing and that prologue gave way too much away too early on. Some of Elka's narration/dialect was a little repetitive at times too.

A really strong survival thriller and highly recommended.