Amy Rowland

3.5⭐️

“We are born innocent. Then life has its way with us.”

Forty-two-year-old Rachel Ruskin returns to her hometown of Shiloh, North Carolina after a disappointing development brings her career in academics to a standstill. Unemployed and alone after the death of her parents in a recent accident and her brother’s suicide some months earlier and now back in her childhood home in the farming community she grew up in, Rachel is haunted by the ghosts of her past and the memories of a traumatic incident from her childhood that resulted in the death of her best friend. Rachel sees that not much has changed in the community – the stories, the way of life, the attitude toward hunting, gun ownership and much more. When tragedy rocks the community, Rachel decides to take the initiative to exact change in the way her community functions in terms of guns and safety, especially in the case of children. That means taking ownership of past actions and reconciling with the secrets that haunted her own family. But in the Southern community set its ways, proud of the traditions, culture and beliefs that have been passed down from generations, how well will Rachel’s efforts be accepted?

“That we create these alternative lives for ourselves so we won’t have to face the pain and disappointment of reality….. Often without realizing. Even if we do recognize our own life-lie, we can’t necessarily change it. Acknowledging the lie might alter the course of your life, or destroy it.”

Timely and relevant, Inside the Wolf by Amy Rowland is an emotionally heavy read. The author tackles sensitive issues with compassion. The characters and the setting are well-depicted as is Rachel’s internal conflict. While I appreciated the premise of the novel, I found the ending a tad rushed. I also felt that Rachel’s character development stagnated after a point and needed to be explored in more depth. However, the author has a powerful voice and the writing is beautiful and expressive. I would be interested in exploring more of Amy Rowland’s work.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Please note that the story has descriptions of the death of children from gunshot wounds, hunting and animal deaths.… (meer)

When Rachel Rankin returns to her family home in North Carolina, she leaves behind a failed academic career in New York. Her parents and only sibling, Garland, are all deceased, so she moves into a home that carries many memories. She also carries a memory of the death of her best friend, Rufus, who died when they were children. His death also brings with it a secret that has haunted her for many years. She slowly adapts into the small town she left behind with many challenges, especially when she learns that the community is aware of why she has so much guilt. Children's exposure to guns is a cause that goes to the heart of her guilt.

Thank you to LibraryThing and to Algonquin for the opportunity to review. this ARC.… (meer)

3.5 stars Rachel returns to her family's North Carolina farm, where memories of a childhood friend's death continues to haunt her.  When another child dies in a similar way, Rachel decides to confront her past and try to make changes to stop similar tragedies in the future.         First I want to say this was beautifully written and the characters, for the most part, were well developed.   While the many issues that were presented were definitely timely and thought-provoking, I felt that some things felt forced, as though they were last minute additions.  There was a lot to unpack in this story, and overall I would recommend it, but with caution.
… (meer)