Read by Amy Rubinate

In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don't know you've lost someone until you've found them. 1987. There's only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that's her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June's world is turned upside down. But Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into June's life-someone who will help her to heal and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart. At Finn's funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn's apartment and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she's not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most. An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again. "Amy Rubinate narrates with a clear and compassionate voice, imparting a clear sense of June's many insecurities and her struggle as she re-imagines her uncle's life. Her vocal characters are well drawn across the board, her pacing and emotional levels on the mark. Finn, June, and Toby are characters one won't soon forget." "A gorgeously evocative novel about love, loss, and the ragged mysteries of the human heart, all filtered through the achingly real voice of a remarkable young heroine." "Brunt writes about family, adolescence, and the human heart with great candor, insight, and pathos." "Tremendously moving…Brunt strikes a difficult balance, imbuing June with the disarming candor of a child and the melancholy wisdom of a heart-scarred adult." "Distracted parents, tussling adolescents, the awful ghost-world of the AIDS-afflicted before AZT-all of it springs to life in Brunt's touching and ultimately hopeful book." "A dazzling debut novel." "Flawlessly encapsulates the fragile years during the mid-'80s when the specter of AIDS began to haunt society at large." "With wry compassion, Brunt portrays the bitter lengths to which we will go to hide our soft underbellies and how summoning the courage to be vulnerable is the only way to see through to each other's hungry, golden souls." "Brunt perfectly captures the longings and struggles of being a teenager and the sticky tensions between siblings. She also reminds us of the fear and ignorance surrounding the burgeoning AIDS epidemic during the Reagan-era '80s. This book is beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once." "A beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope." "What begins as a wary relationship between former rivals for Finn's affection blossoms touchingly." "Elegantly pictures the New York art world of the 1980s, suburban Westchester, and the isolation of AIDS." "Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tale as charming and magnetic as the missing character at its heart. It's a love story of the most unusual kind-several love stories, really-vivid and madly relatable, heartening as well as heartbreaking. Brunt is a captivating storyteller and a wonderful new voice."

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