To be fair

allow me to post some links to the praise that History of Wolves has gotten from well respected sources.
The New York Times
NPR
Kirkus Reviews
As for me,
wow
that was terrible.
And I LOVE books set in Minnesota!
And this was set in Northern Minnesota!
And I love Northern Minnesota!  Though I am not sure if "n" should be a capital there or not.
And it even mentions Grand Rapids!
And you-know-who was born in Grand Rapids!
But wow.
The main character is such a jerk.  So unlikable that she is not even a good main character in the sense that being unlikable makes her real.  I mean, I know there are people out there like she, but wow.  What a self-centered jerk.  As a child and as an adult remembering her childhood.
Thing is, I hate writing a bad review of any book.  I acknowledge that this book is well written.  I acknowledge that the author, Emily Fridlund is a zillion times more talented than I.  But man, this book just wasn't for me.  I didn't understand it.  So maybe that is why!  I mean, this was for sure, literary fiction and I am not very literary.  I am not a bright bulb.  I readily admit that, so maybe I am just not smart enough to understand HOW.  I put those links on there so that you can see what folks FAR brighter than I had to say about HOW and I would love to hear your take on it.
I was really bothered by the depiction of the pedophile as a sympathetic character, even though I know he was probably a pedophile because someone molested him, and even though I know we are not to judge.  But man, anyone who hurts our children or our elderly, among the most vulnerable in our society...man, man, man...I just have a super hard time having a kind thought for them.  And that is on me.