The Wolf Hunt - Ayelet Gundar-Goshen translated by Sondra Silverston - Blog Tour

 A deceptive thriller, The Wolf Hunt examines several issues such as antisemitism and relocation, but overwhelmingly, parenthood and how much a mother and a father understand their child.

Lilach seems to have it all: a beautiful home in the heart of Silicon Valley, a happy marriage, and a close relationship with her teenage son, Adam. But when a local synagogue is brutally attacked, her shy, reclusive, son is compelled to join a self-defense class taught by a former Israeli, Special Forces officer. And when a Black teenager dies, rumours begin to circulate that Adam and his new friends might have been involved. As scrutiny invades Lilach’s peaceful home, and her family's stability is threatened, she is forced to reckon with a devastating question: do you ever really know what your child is capable of?

With a perfectly paced narrative and a tight plot the reader is thrown into as much confusion as Lilach (aka Leela). I found my suspicions aroused several times only to be thwarted by the developments but I will smugly aver that my suspicions were not totally unfounded! The book is peppered with many challenging and often upsetting moments which rendered it as much an investigation of character than a mere thriller. The whole scenario is overseen by Leela, and it is from her perspective that we see things. It’s quite interesting that our only insight into how husband, Mikhael and son Adam see the situation is from Leela’s narration and understanding. Although the police are very much involved Leela is main investigator and narrator.

I found the book compelling reading. It's one of those slow burning thrillers that create a palpable atmosphere of tension and uncertainty which has you reading on and on in the hope of resolution. I enjoyed the structure of the plot where one pivotal event, which on one level seems unrelated to the whole, is the catalyst for what follows. The novel is then set up for the characterisations to take over almost. Leela is the dominant female character but Mikhael, Adam and Uri form a solid male trinity and it is almost as if Leela is up against all of them as well as the situations that develop throughout the course of the novel. But the minor characters are also solidly drawn, the deceased boy's mother, residents of the care home where Leela works, for example.

The translation is superb. I completely forgot that I was reading a book translated from the Hebrew and yet the narrative lost nothing of the rich cultural heritage.

My thanks to Kate Wilkinson at Pushkin Press for a gifted copy and a place upon the blog tour. Mine is but one opinion so do please check out what other bloggers have to say.