If you have been in a bit of a reading slump during the numerousVictorian lockdowns then Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy will definitely reignite your reading life. I read this over two nights – yes, I could not put it down for anything except work, not even sleep!
Charlotte McConaghy won many accolades for her first novel The Last Migration (which is now definitely on hold for me) and Once There Were Wolves is her second novel. It is so assured and accomplished and has so many layers that captivate you from the first chapter.
Yes, once there were wolves in Scotland and Australian Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team tasked with reintroducing fourteen grey wolves into the remote Highlands in an effort to heal a dying landscape. There is fierce opposition from the local farmers and Inti is challenged in many ways. She will protect the wolves with everything in her, as she protects her twin Aggie, who is broken by trauma. But then a local farmer disappears and is feared dead. The wolves are blamed but if they didn’t kill him who did? Inti will protect the wolves from retribution but can she possibly investigate the murder as an outsider to the town?
"I could not put it down for anything except work, not even sleep."
- Jane Cowell
Described as propulsive and spellbinding this novel dips back and forth between Inti’s childhood, in both inner Sydney and the remote wilderness of British Columbia as we learn what has made both Aggie and Inti what they are today, in Scotland.
Inti suffers from a rare neurological condition known as mirror-touch synaesthesia, which enables her to feel the sensory experiences of others which gives her preternatural levels of empathy for people and animals and leaves her vulnerable to how humans hurt each other, for if she sees it she will feel it. She is a fascinating character, complex and flawed and I found myself totally on her side even when we know that she is making a mistake.
This novel is not just a murder mystery, it is also a story of want, of connection between twin sisters and what they will do to protect each other, and a story of trauma and healing – of people and landscapes. It is also a novel of trust – those who deserve it and those who betray it. Domestic violence is a jarring seam running through the novel and how communities, friends and the law stands aside and lets it happen. The totally fascinating description of the Highlands and the nature of wolves just makes this novel richer and you definitely will not want to put it down. The Scottish Highlands is now on my travel wish list!