#BookReview ‘Wolfsong’ by T.J Klune

About the book…

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the little boy’s secret and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Thank you so much to UK Tor and Black Crow PR for my gifted review copy of ‘Wolfsong’, I was kindly sent this and promptly lost it amongst my book piles , stupid error putting it somewhere ‘safe’. But I have *finally* located it just on time for my copy of ‘‘Ravensong’‘, book 2 in the Green Creek series to arrive today, hurray!

So what is ‘Wolfsong’  about and why should you already have it on your bookshelves?

Well there is first person narrator, Oxnard-Ox- who is the beating heart of the story, he brings you into Green Creek and you see it through his eyes, he lives with his mother about whom he is fiercely protective since his father walked out on them.

Ox’s dad’s parting shot about his being useless-sorry I cannot bring myself to use the ‘r’word-gifts him a childhood where he keeps his head down and does not see his worth, although his mother, us readers and the people who work with him in the local garage absolutely can. He has the hugest heart, the most protective spirit and a courage which is hinted at.

When the Bennett family move in next door, Ox is 17 and has an equilibrium in his life, going to school and also working at the garage where he finds a family who accept him, gently rib him and make him feel he has a place. So your hackles raise at what danger they could present to him.

And what danger do they present?

The family’s youngest son, Joe, immediately takes a shine to Ox, and whilst this seems natural, Joe has been through a hinted at trauma which resulted in selective mutism and his decision to speak to Ox, forever wins the Bennetts loyalty. But at a cost.

Ox is gradually brought into the family before learning the truth of their identity as werewolves, and is given the choice to join them, as a wolf after he turns 18, or to be their human ‘tether’, a person who is of the pack but not from it, who keeps them linked to their human side and prevent them being feral.

This sounds like a reasonable option for someone who has longed for a family however, where monsters are-and these wolves are well aware of what they are-others follow. It causes a fraction with Gordo, his paternal figure at the garage for reason which I will not spoil here, and then love, lust and longing raise their heads as Ox and Joe move through puberty.

As to where this will go, and whether it will last, is again not something I will want to spoil, what I will say is this novel is about heart, courage and acceptance of people for who they are, not what they aren’t. The fluidity of sexuality and the conversations which Ox has about who he is and is not attracted to are done respectfully, naturally and feel wonderful to read. As a woman in her late 40’s, I feel this is the kind of book and conversation young people need to have access to, it’s so important to have that representation, acceptance without judgement, just re-enforcement on the issues of safety and consent which are joyous. Ox’s exploration of himself as a sexual being is real, ferocious and beautiful, not gratuitous , nor kept behind closed doors.

At it’s centre, this sets the stage for the players in this world of werewolves, small town voices and nature versus nurture. You cannot choose who you are linked to by reasons of genetics, you can, however, make your own family out of love, respect and loyalty without losing yourself in the process. As Ox becomes Joe’s tether, so he becomes ours in the story and I am excited to read Gordo’s story, it will be difficult to step back from Ox as he lands in your heart as this unforgettable person with humility and love to spare. He reminds me of the way I felt, and reacted, to Wolf, in Stephen King and Peter Straub’s ‘The Talisman’, the first time around and just deepened every time I re-read it. I know this is a series I will see through to the end , and will re-read many, many times.

About the author…

TJ KLUNE is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown) and an ex-claims examiner for an insurance company.

His novels include ‘The House In The Cerulean Sea’ and ‘The Extraordinaries’. Being queer himself, TJ believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.

Links-http://www.tjklunebooks.com/

Excerpt from the book is available here

Twitter @tjklune @BlackCrowPR @TorUK