Sister Wolf by Ann Arensberg is not your run-of-the-mill novel of live and love.
Let’s take a look at the plot: Marit Deym lives on her thousand acres with no one but her fellow animals—bears, foxes, and a family of wolves—whom she has made a haven for on her land. Deym does her best to keep to herself until one day the wolves literally bring a stranger to her door. His name is Gabriel Frankman and he is a teacher at the nearby school for the blind. He got lost hiking in the woods. From there, you can guess what happens.
The most apt description of Arensberg’s novel comes from a review from the National Book Foundation. “Think Wes Anderson presents: Wuthering Heights! or Jane Eyre,”says reviewer Lauren Cerand. The book is the perfect blend of quirk, romance, and drama.
Sister Wolf was Arensberg’s debut novel and so successfully done that it won her the National Book Award for Best First Novel in 1981. It also may be the first-ever National Book Award–winning novel in which wolves are responsible for introducing the protagonists to each other.
However, the work is so rare that acclaimed author Anne Rice would still say the above description does not do the story justice. “No summary can convey the unusual power of this book, its originality in voice and tone,” she notes.
Now, it’s your turn to read it, and we have it available for the first time as an ebook.
Learn more about Ann Arensberg on her author page.