Once There Were Wolves

Once There Were Wolves Book Cover

In this gripping new novel from Charlotte McConaghy, even the most wild beasts cannot compare to the wildness of mankind.

Inti Flynn is the lead biologist on a team of researchers attempting to reintroduce gray wolves back into the Scottish Highlands, a terrain where they haven't been in hundreds of years. With her schedule already packed between the team's research and taking care of her housebound twin sister Aggie — who has been deeply traumatized by events occurring before they came to Scotland — Inti finds even more trouble when resistance from the surrounding community makes their research even more difficult.

Inti and Aggie have always been close to each other and to the wild — Inti experiences a rare condition called mirror-touch synesthesia, where she is able to experience a similar sensation in the same or opposite part of the body that another person feels. For this reason, she was never able to hunt for food as a child when living with their nomadic father, Aggie always having to take the final plunge. 

For Inti, this condition brings heartache — she feels the same trauma her sister feels, and knows exactly what the wolves are feeling as her team observes them. But it also allows her to understand her work more deeply and identify more easily with the wolves and their needs.

With beautiful scenery and absolutely incredible character description and development, it is difficult to put down McConaghy's newest novel. Each character's personality shines through, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the much larger story behind it all. 

Written from Inti's perspective, *Once There Were Wolves is a captivating and enthralling look at humanity, the wildness within, and how a much closer look reveals the dark similarities between humans and the wild beasts of the forest.

Flatiron Books // 272 pages // Contemporary Fiction