The Wolf Border

April 27, 2015
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.