Book Review: Inside the Wolf by Amy Rowland

Rating: 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.