Welcome to Litsy!

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel | Carol Rifka Brunt

This post contains spoilers

Question 5
There are multiple references to wolves throughout the novel. What do the wolves come to symbolize for June?

Cuilin I think the wolves symbolize growing up and becoming a little bit more cynical, they are an unknown quality. They do not exist in Connecticut yet they symbolize danger that she knows to be real and she must keep her guard up and let go of childish things. 2y

Balibee146 I think the wolves are also about the dark, hidden parts of us.... The things that are frightening, wild and we fear unacceptable but also undeniable... Hence the wolf hidden in the dark space within the painting 2y

Cinfhen I like both of those images and ideas @Balibee146 @Cuilin I wonder if for June the Wolves represent a freedom of sorts / an ability to live without confines & restrictions to live outside the boundaries / (edited) 2y

See All 27 Comments

Balibee146 @cinfhen....yes I like that... Wildness within 👍 2y

squirrelbrain Yes, I agree with your thoughts @Balibee146, as well as @cinfhen. The wolves represent the dark unknown (perhaps adulthood?) but also the freedom not to be confined by expectations. 2y

Cuilin @Cinfhen June certainly wants the sounds in the woods to be wolves so yes they can represent something positive for her. 2y

DebinHawaii There‘s the part where June is with Ben & they are talking about the wolves & he says “not all wolves are bad” & she says No. Not at all. Not bad. Just... just selfish. That‘s what they are. Hungry & selfish.” I think she sees them as her wants & desires, the things that live inside all of us. 2y

Marni I feel like it was her. She was lost, struggling to find who she was, going where she shouldn‘t. She was wild. They were that spirit in her that couldn‘t be reined in 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I think they were usually positive for June, the wild, the olden times, and by the end she is becoming the Wolf Queen of D & D so I think she is growing up and taking what fear she had of the howling and making it her own. Instead of being afraid, owning it, being herself. 2y

Cinfhen I absolutely love those ideas @DebinHawaii @Marni @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I agree, June saw the wolves as something postive 2y

DebinHawaii @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Cinfhen I agree, I think they were mostly positive for June—something she wanted to see & acknowledge, growing into her self. 2y

peaknit I also felt they represented something positive to Junie, a refuge somehow. 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘d say they were her “spirit animal,” that she drew strength from. Both predator and protector somehow. 2y

Cinfhen I love all these wolves ideas @peaknit @BarbaraTheBibliophage the buddy reads are always so insightful 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen Yes, I love the discussion too. Thanks so much for hosting this one with @BarbaraBB ! 💕💕 2y

Balibee146 Thanks @cinfen and @BarbaraTheBibliophage 😘😘 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Balibee146 I think you mean to thank @BarbaraBB for hosting, not me. ♥️ 2y

Balibee146 @BarbaraBB @BarbaraTheBibliophage apols and thanks for the heads up... You come up listed together + fst fingers 🤣🤣 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Balibee146 No worries. It happens more than you‘d think! 😎 2y

britt_brooke Perhaps they represent our uniqueness and our acceptance of those traits/talents/behaviors; good and bad. We all have “wolves,” it‘s how handle them that makes us human. 2y

Suet624 I love everything that folks wrote above and it gave me much more to think about. Honestly, the wolf that I was most interested in was the one in the painting, the one hidden in between the two sisters. It felt like it symbolized both the love and the slow tearing apart of the sisters. 2y

CarolynM Thanks for hosting another fun party Cindy and Barbara 😘😘 @BarbaraBB 2y

Cinfhen Thanks for participating and sharing your thoughts @CarolynM @Suet624 @britt_brooke @Balibee146 @BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘m always inspired and awed by the thoughtfulness and insights of my fellow Littens 🐺🐺🐺 2y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Balibee146 I agree... 🖤 2y

Balibee146 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 👍 2y

Librarybelle I remember June‘s feelings over discovering the wolves in the park were feral dogs - she just wondered why people would bother by them. To me, that symbolized how much misunderstanding happened in the book. There‘s this level of danger, yet it‘s the perception of danger and secrets that destroys, not the true inner self or meaning. 2y

Librarybelle Thanks for hosting this, @Cinfhen and @BarbaraBB ! I absolutely loved the book. So sorry I was late to the discussion! 2y

17 likes27 comments

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel | Carol Rifka Brunt

This post contains spoilers

Lots of parts to this question!
Question 4
Why did Finn name the portrait Tell The Wolves I‘m Home? Who do you think submitted the painting to the newspaper? What was the significance of the portrait being defaced by Greta & June? Did the additions from Danni & Toby come to mean something?

Cuilin This question got the most traction at my IRL book group. There‘s a line that says “All I wanted was for Toby to hear the wolves that lived in the dark forest of my heart and maybe that‘s what it meant tell the wolves I‘m home.” She also eludes to a wolf in the painting. Finn said tell the wolves I‘m home because their coming for you anyway. I guess the wolf can stand for many things something wild, beastly and predatory, frightening yet extinct. 2y

Cuilin Cont in Connecticut 2y

BarbaraBB I think Finn didn‘t want to hide anymore. He did hide a wolf in the painting but I guess he wanted to express his strength. He hadn‘t shown his work in public for years, he hid his lover (that room in the basement 💔), he was judged because of the fact that the was gay, he was punished with aids on top of it all and I think he finally felt there was nothing to be ashamed of. He was a great artist and wanted to be known and judged for his art. (edited) 2y

See All 45 Comments

Cuilin @BarbaraBB I know! the basement, in the closet comes to mind. 2y

Cinfhen I think of wolves as a pack of cutthroats/out for blood @Cuilin @BarbaraBB so I think Finn who was ashamed and scorned for his sexuality finally wanted to let the world know that he was “home” finally at peace and finding comfort with his choices. I believe he submitted the painting to the paper as his final act. He wanted his legacy to be about his talents and not about the way he died. (edited) 2y

Cinfhen I‘m not sure why June continued to deface the portrait after she noticed Greta had. I think Greta did it out of spite @Cuilin @BarbaraBB (edited) 2y

BarbaraBB @Cinfhen well said about the legacy. That‘s it I think. I don‘t know why June kept adding to the painting in the first place and agree Great did it out of spite. (edited) 2y

Cuilin He kept Toby in the basement even up to the last Sunday before he died. Why? 2y

Cinfhen Hmmmm, good point @Cuilin out of “respect” to his sister 2y

Cinfhen I think he had given his word to his sister which is why he secretly needed to facilitate June & Toby‘s meeting @Cuilin 2y

DebinHawaii I look at the wolves as both the inner demons that tear us apart and the outer pack of people with judgement & hate & prejudice who do the same. I think the painting title is about acknowledging them but formally doing it publicly was still hard for Finn to do. I like the thought of him submitting the painting as his final act @Cinfhen 2y

Cuilin @cinfhen it doesn‘t doesn‘t scream comfortable with who he is. I think he still felt oppressed by her. He adhered to her rules till the bitter end. 💔 2y

Cuilin @DebinHawaii I agree it was hard for him to do. 2y

DebinHawaii @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen @Cuilin I agree about the spite from Greta. I think June wanted to be included, stay close to Finn & not have it be finished—keeping Finn with her. 2y

Cinfhen Yes, but I think he wanted to still “protect” his sister even though he, Finn was ready to let the “wolves” know who he truly was @Cuilin @DebinHawaii 2y

Cinfhen In those very very early days people really shunned you just by association. The author briefly touched on the Ryan White story. 2y

Cinfhen Ohhh, I like that idea @DebinHawaii similar to Toby and eventually Danni adding to the painting 2y

Billypar I felt like Finn's choice to paint an invisible wolf between the two sisters represented the subtle negative feelings that well up between two people in close relationships and start eating away at the bond between them. Finn noticed that happening with his own sister, and the fact that he literally abandoned her makes the title a message to her and a warning to June and Greta. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I still don‘t know who sent it to the paper, everyone who saw it after Finn‘s death, saw it with buttons...so maybe Finn. I was also kind of sad when they removed Toby and the girls “graffiti”. 2y

Billypar I also liked how June was trying to get a message to Greta at the end while she was at the party that she was home, but the subtext is also that she was metaphorically returning 'home' to her sister, ready to reconcile with her. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Billypar I like that. 2y

Cuilin @Cinfhen I think I‘m just really angry with Danni for forcing him into a closeted life. It was a different time. 2y

Marni I don‘t have an answer as to why he named it that, but I do think he sent it to the paper. He sent it with the caveat “after I die”. It was a gift to the girls, but he knew it wouldn‘t have its true worth unless it was made public. That was part of his gift. I loved the additions from everyone. It felt like it made it really belong to them, and connect them all. And having Danni‘s additions stay.... 2y

Marni It felt like she finally would have a piece of her in the art world, and a connection to her brother 2y

Billypar The painting on the picture reminded me of how the influence of different people on each other gets easily entangled: things June thought were Finn were really Toby, Danni influenced Finn's artistic leanings from a young age, and Greta wanted to be noticed and appreciated by Finn the way she saw him admiring her sister. 2y

Cinfhen That‘s really interesting @Billypar I like that as well @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 2y

Cinfhen I agree @Marni the “defacing” did connect them all and it did bring Danni into the art world 2y

peaknit @marni, I like what you are saying about it being a gift but needing to be publicized to get the attention, that makes sense. I agree it had to be Finn because no buttons. 2y

peaknit I am not sure why the painting is named that unless it‘s a big “huzzah, Im right here” from Finn? And defacing seemed so weird to me, to take paint all the way to the bank...🤷🏼‍♀️ 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage I‘ve been struggling with the meaning of the wolves. I think any and all of what‘s been mentioned makes sense. I also want to point out that NYC wasn‘t very welcoming to the gay community at that time. There were a lot of closeted by men in positions of power, including in the already hyper critical art world. So the wolves also mean to me that feeling that “everybody wants a piece of you.” A publicly out man could really lose himself to that. 1/2 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage 2/2 Also, I was just hunting to see what wolves symbolized in the art of the Middle Ages. They symbolized vice—and what was a more judged vice in the 70s and 80s than being a gay man, especially one with AIDS. 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage Maybe defacing the painting was just their collective expression of grief ... 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen And it was interesting how part of what Danni added wasn‘t removed. 2y

DebinHawaii @BarbaraTheBibliophage Oooh, I like the “vice” symbolism thoughts! 2y

Cinfhen 100% @BarbaraTheBibliophage it was really important to my husband‘s uncle that when he died he should be remembered for his legacy and not that he was a gay man who died from AIDS. He feared that more than the actual death. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/23/nyregion/irving-cooperberg-65-helped-found-ga... 2y

bookandbedandtea I don't have a guess why Finn named the painting that but I do think he's the one who submitted it to the papers. I liked that Toby, Greta, June and Danni all added to it and found myself wishing their contributions hadn't been cleaned away. I flip flop between liking and not liking that Danni's addition was kept. 2y

Cinfhen Fascinating about medieval wolves imagery @BarbaraTheBibliophage 2y

Cinfhen I agree @bookandbedandtea 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen Oh my, he certainly left an important and lasting legacy. That‘s pretty cool. OTOH, my grandad‘s obituary (Pittsburgh in the 80s) refers to his partner as one of his ‘sons.‘ 🤦🏼‍♀️ 2y

britt_brooke @DebinHawaii Agree with you 100%! Well said. (edited) 2y

CarolynM @BarbaraTheBibliophage I like both your suggestions for the significance of the wolves. 2y

BarbaraBB Thanks for sharing that article @Cinfhen and unbelievable @BarbaraTheBibliophage ,his son! Just 30/40 years ago! 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB IKR? If there‘s an afterlife, I hope Grandfather slapped his children silly over that foolishness. 2y

Cinfhen Let‘s hope our future generations have learned tolerance, acceptance and love @BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB @Billypar ❤️ 2y

Librarybelle Completely agree, @DebinHawaii ! 2y

16 likes45 comments

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel | Carol Rifka Brunt

This post contains spoilers

Question 3
Explain your thoughts about Greta. Was she plagued by jealousy, insecurity or was there more going on with her? Do you think the author handled this storyline well?

CoffeeNBooks I think there was a lot going on with Greta- she was jealous of Finn and June, she was somewhat insecure, she and June weren't as close as they had been when they were younger, and she felt pressured by her mom to pursue her acting even though she wasn't sure that's what she wanted to do. 2y

BarbaraBB For me the Greta storyline didn‘t work well. Maybe she had a thing with her teacher, maybe she was afraid of him but that doesn‘t explain why she suddenly had no friends anymore and became a heavy drinker. In the end it turns out she felt lonely and left out. That makes sense but not in regard to her appearances in the school related scenes. I may have missed the point. 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB I‘m with you. This story line was the least clear and compelling for me. I thought Greta was self absorbed and trying to get attention any way she could. 2y

See All 36 Comments

Billypar Jealousy and insecurity were big parts of it: it seemed obvious that she was jealous of her sister because of her relationship with Finn, but it makes sense that June wouldn't have picked up on something like that at her age and how it was masked by meanness and feigned indifference. I think she was also under a lot of pressure with the acting and college looming that it must have been lonely not to have her sister as close anymore to support her. 2y

DebinHawaii @BarbaraBB @CoffeeNBooks I expected a bigger reveal of issues with Greta—something with her teacher maybe, something that happened but I think it was a lot of the small things—insecurity, not having someone in her corner like Finn was for June. Her mother‘s pushing her was for herself and not for Greta. 2y

Cinfhen I agree @BarbaraBB I didn‘t think this storyline was fully fleshed out. I‘m not sure her actions were all based on jealousy or feeling left out @CoffeeNBooks I got the sense her theatre teacher was exploiting her, or perhaps there was some sort of intimacy going on. And I‘m not sure why June never addressed the drinking with anyone 2y

Cinfhen Toby rushing to save Greta, even though it was on the bequest of June bugged me. That seemed overly dramatic especially as it was a plot point to bring about his death. That‘s where I became disappointed with the book @DebinHawaii @BarbaraTheBibliophage 2y

BarbaraBB @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen She was self absorbed indeed. She was the popular one, why would she be jealous of her nerdy sister to be close with an uncle while she herself was the star of the school? It didn‘t make sense to me. Also, June felt left out by Greta before things turned the other way around. (edited) 2y

Cinfhen I agree she was jealous @Billypar because she wasn‘t receiving the “adult” attention which I think she mostly enjoyed @BarbaraBB until perhaps things got compromised with her theatre teacher. I think she slept with him at some point and then it all became too much for her. 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @DebinHawaii Right? Toby doing that was just hard to believe. Especially carrying Greta out of the forest, since he was apparently so near death. Adrenaline, maybe? But I thought it was so June would still love him, and that insecurity didn‘t entirely ring true. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Greta was mostly a foil for June, which allowed the author to expand her main character‘s world beyond Toby and Finn. 2y

BarbaraBB @BarbaraTheBibliophage Toby had told her so often she could ask him anything and he had already refused the going to England plan, so I think he felt that he couldn‘t disappoint June again. (edited) 2y

Cuilin I think he carried her from the forest because his death was inevitable he could please June and Finn with this heroic action. 2y

squirrelbrain I really disliked Greta at first but then grew to feel quite sorry for her. (Which is unusual for me - once I make up my mind about someone I‘m usually very black or white, IRL or in a book!). By the end I could see her as a frightened child too, living up to high expectations from her parents, school and friends. Although I do agree that she wasn‘t fully realised as a character, and the end plot device with Toby in the woods was flawed. 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @BarbaraBB Yes, all that ... but I‘m not totally clear on why or how he could put her request above his perilous health. That‘s why it‘s fiction ... 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cuilin Maybe he wanted to speed it along, which he did actually say to June while he was in hospital. It was coming anyway, so she helped him go out more on his terms. 2y

Balibee146 I felt the same @squirrelbrain 👍 2y

DebinHawaii @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cuilin Yes, I think he knew he didn‘t have time left & did it for June & for Finn—taking care of June as he was asked to by trying to take care of Greta as June asked. 2y

Cinfhen Funny @squirrelbrain I had very little patience for Greta. And I‘m not sure why she kept insisting that June come to the parties in the woods and to her practices?? Did she want June to rescue her? Maybe she wanted June to take care of her for once since Greta had always been June‘s protector? 2y

BarbaraBB @Cinfhen I thought Greta invited June to show off her cool life but maybe @squirrelbrain is right and was she just lonely because most of the time she didn‘t show off at all. 2y

squirrelbrain Yes, @BarbaraBB I think it was a weird mix of wanting to show off, but also wanting to keep June alongside her as a link back to her childhood. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @BarbaraTheBibliophage I think at that point he knew his death was inevitable, Greta‘s was not. Even if it had been Finn, with no letters and nothing to live up to I think he would have gone. That whole, I‘m going to be gone soon anyway, nothing I can do about that, but this one think I can help with. 2y

Riveted_Reader_Melissa @squirrelbrain I agree, she was hard to like... but by the end I felt sorry for her too...she was pushed ahead in school and then expected to be more adult too, I could see how with all her promise at school, she felt like she had lost out at being the cared for little girl. 2y

Hooked_on_books I found her completely one-note. Angry, vindictive and self-absorbed and her reasons for her behavior really weren‘t interrogated. So that made her story line more of a distraction. 2y

Cinfhen It was a plot point to bring Toby& June‘s secret friendship into the story @Hooked_on_books and also a catalyst for his death / I hated this WHOLE storyline 2y

Marni I could be wrong, but I think she was being molested by her teacher, and she had no one safe to turn to (in her mind). She‘s lost her best friend to her uncle and was suffering this awful thing. She didn‘t know how to deal with it all so she lashed out. 2y

Cinfhen I absolutely think she was being molested by her theatre teacher and I‘m a little disappointed that the author sort of alluded to it but never followed through @Marni 2y

Kalalalatja I wanted to know so much more about Greta because of all the half-finished plot points. Greta felt the most lonely to me, and like the most troubled character, and it broke my heart that she wasn‘t taken better care of. Her mom‘s lack of insight into her daughter‘s wishes was just awful. I don‘t understand why nobody saw her more clearly because she definitely got issues! 2y

bookandbedandtea I think Greta's storyline weakened the book as a whole. There should either have been a lot less of her or her issues should have been properly explored. Yes, she told June that she was unhappy and feeling pressured but I don't think her drinking, meanness, and erratic behavior were adequately explained. 2y

peaknit I think she was put on a pedestal by her teacher, peers, parents and hated it. She may have been bright but not socially mature. She missed Junie and acted out because maybe negative attention was better than all of the worship she felt was misplaced by everyone? 2y

BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen @Marni I agree. He was asking her for ‘a favor‘ in exchange for connecting her to those Broadway people. He cheapened and changed her love of theater by tying it to sex. 😰 2y

britt_brooke @BarbaraBB Agree. Greta‘s storyline was a bit gray. I didn‘t understand the significance of the theater stuff. I feel like the strained sisterly relationship could‘ve been broached in a simpler way. 2y

Suet624 @britt_brooke I agree. 2y

CarolynM I thoroughly disliked both Greta and the mother, both of whom I thought were selfish and jealous. 2y

Cinfhen Yes to all of these comments @Kalalalatja @bookandbedandtea @peaknit @britt_brooke @CarolynM 2y

Librarybelle I really did not like Greta, but I think she too had her own demons. It would have been interesting to get more from her. 2y

15 likes36 comments

Tell the Wolves I'm Home: A Novel | Carol Rifka Brunt

This post contains spoilers

Question 2
How do you feel about June and Toby‘s secret friendship? Is it a healthy relationship? How about her relationship with Finn?