The Wolf Border
'A writer of show-stopping genius.' Guardian
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3.9 • 8 Ratings
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
'One of the finest writers at work today.' Damon Galgut
'A writer of show-stopping genius.' Guardian
'So vivid, so visceral, so vital.' Val McDermid
For almost a decade Rachel Caine has turned her back on home and worked in Idaho at a reservation for wolves. As one of the few experts in her field she is summoned back to England by the eccentric Earl of Annerdale to help with his plan for re-wilding wolves on his estate in the Lake District. As Rachel attempts a gradual reconciliation with her estranged family, her work with the Earl begins to generate public outrage and the threat of sabotage. Set against a backdrop of Scottish independence and tumultuous power struggles both locally and nationally, The Wolf Border is a novel steeped in wilderness and wildness, both animal and human.
'A graceful, visceral, utterly compelling read.' Sunday Express magazine
'A thrilling tale of politics and power . . . Compulsively absorbing and masterfully plotted, it confirms Hall as one of our finest fiction writers.' Daily Mail
'A compelling, psychological drama . . . [Hall] has a golden touch.' The Economist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Known for her eccentric and brooding characters sporting various creative talents (photographers, painters, tattoo artists), Man Booker finalist Hall (The Electric Michelangelo) tackles the union of nature and British politics in her subdued and ruminative fifth novel. Featuring writing that is less flamboyant but just as deliberate and sturdy as her previous books, the narrative follows zoologist Rachel Caine. At the outset, she leaves her job at an Idaho wildlife recovery program for her native England, where she'll oversee a controversial project to reintroduce a pair of imported gray wolves to the English wild by way of the Earl of Annendale's immense Cumbrian estate. The logistics of training, tagging, and monitoring the majestic animals soon play second fiddle to more urgent matters Rachel's mother's suicide; the reunion with her estranged half brother, whom she learns has a drug problem; and her unplanned pregnancy after a one-night stand in America with an old friend and ex-colleague. As she juggles being a mother at nearly 40, her son's "galactic" temper tantrums, and a budding relationship with an English veterinarian, Rachel slowly redefines who she is and what kind of happiness she's capable of. The wolves' journey toward a new kind of freedom serves as a powerful parallel to Rachel's own struggle to become an increasingly independent woman.
