preview

Tell The Wolves Im Home Summary

Decent Essays
Open Document

Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a novel by Carol Rifka Brunt. June Elbus is a 14-year-old living in 1987 New York, at the height of the AIDS epidemic. She’s in love with her gay maternal uncle, even though she’s scared to admit it to herself. Her uncle, Finn Weiss, suffers from AIDS. During the last couple weeks of his life, her uncle, who is a renowned professional painter, asks June and her older sister Greta to pose for a portrait, which he later titles “Tell the Wolves I’m Home”. After Finn’s funeral, June is contacted by a man she’s never met before. The man’s name is Toby, and he is Finn’s boyfriend. Toby asks to meet June to deliver a package from Finn. Hesitantly, June meets up with Toby. The package from Finn contains a final wish, …show more content…

June discovers things about her uncle she’s never known before. Meanwhile, June’s mother moves the portrait into a bank vault. June and Greta, who find it increasingly hard to get along, make secret, small additions to the painting. Greta, under stress, has taken to excessive underage drinking and smoking. In addition, she finds out about Toby and June’s meetings and teases June about them. One day, Greta asks June to meet her in the woods near her school after her high school theater performance. On the same day, June’s mother discovers the additions on the painting and grounds June. June goes to see Greta’s show, but as Greta ascends the stage, June realizes that Greta is drunk. Because she’s grounded, June is unable to meet Greta in the woods. Instead, she calls Toby and asks him to bring Greta home. It’s very cold in the woods, and both Toby and Greta become very sick. However, the police arrive and arrest Greta, along with Toby. Greta lies to say she befriended Toby. June’s mother, who disapproved of Finn’s homosexuality, recognizes Toby and shuns him. After the incident, Greta tells June that she was jealous of Finn and Toby because she as important to June as they were. The two make up

Get Access