The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis, almost went under my radar. But boy, am I glad I picked it up at least now. I frankly didn't have much expectation heading into the story but the singular voice of "Elka" and the lyrical quality of the writing, not to mention, the intriguing post-apocalyptic set up of a wild frontier land, just swept me away and before I even realised, I was deep into the book - hooked into the fascinating story of survival and coming-of-age of a young girl in the cold unforgiving lands up north in a wild Wild West setting. 

Elka, who grew up with her 'nana' till she was seven years, dreams of her parents who have gone 'north' searching for gold, joining the 'gold rush' up there. Even as she yearns for the love of parents she has never known, her world is shattered one day when a hurricane hits her home and she wakes up in an unfamiliar forest. That is when she meets the mysterious 'trapper' - who for some unfathomable reason, decides to take her home, feed her and raise her as one of his own. In the next ten years, Elka learns everything there is to, living in the wild. Hunting, setting traps, tracking wild animals, avoiding the bears. A girl who thrives in the wild and loves it. And trapper becomes her 'daddy' without even she acknowledging this. 

And then at seventeen, one day she rides into the nearest town and meets up with Jennifer Lyons, the 'law' in these lands, who is looking for a murderer named 'Krueger' - wanted for the murder of seven women and a young boy. Whose face disturbingly resembles trapper's. That's when her world comes crashing down and a lot of the pieces of the puzzle about trapper starts to click in place. She understands that she has to make a run for it as unknowingly, she herself is an accomplice to the man's crimes and there is something about Lyon's flint hard eyes that gives her the shivers. Elka flees and that is the start of a grand adventure for her, as she meets new people, makes friends and enemies in equal measure, sets out North to finally meet her mother and father and perhaps, settle down with her family. 

It's one heady adventure in the cold and unforgiving wild, this book that traverses multiple genres. The setting is unique and the writing is absolutely sublime. and the characters pure gold! Be it Elka, or her best friend Penelope or the shadowy mysterious presence of the Trapper throughout the book, they have all been well crafted and while the tale is told from the point of view, of Elka, we get enough of a perspective of what makes these others tick. So the whole story if you had to visually place it somewhere, think of the untamed wilds up north near Yukon. Throw in the fact that the world has survived a huge apocalyptic event, only referred to here as the Big Stupid, and it has regressed to almost the eighteenth century kind of living. The setting is that of the wild frontier lands and there is even a "Gold Rush" event that sets up the backdrop of why these new towns are shaping up on the edge of the wilds. So there is always the gritty western feel to the story that embellishes the narrative throughout. Life's hard, cheap and always about walking a tight-rope between survival and death in these grim places. 

Beyond this setting, however, the tale is wholly and fully about Elka. A young naïve girl, who knows nothing about the "worldly" affairs, used to living in the wild away from the rest of the world. How she navigates this greedy, selfish world full of snake-charming realtors, cunning gangsters looking to trade in unsuspecting girls like her and also, the wholly unexpected kindness of strangers who become friends and partners. She's an unconventional character - tough, independent but a little too trusting of the strangers out in the world. And of course, there is the whole tricky relationship with her father figure, "Trapper" whom she know is a killer but cannot help thinking of. This complex relationship is a constant shadow looming large throughout the book, as it's ultimately about a young girl finding her place in this world, a world she has grown up without the blessings of her own born parents. How do you deal, when the only person in her world who has shown her the ways of the wild, to survive this harsh landscape, who in all rights, by nurture, ought to be her 'dad' - turns out to be a crazed killer? 

Elka's friendship with Penelope, the girl whom she rescues from a smuggling racket, is the brightest light in this cold far north. It is heartening to see Elka's relationship grow, stumble and then strengthen in its conviction. In Elka's mind, she compares this to a rope footbridge built over a roaring raging river, where the wooden slats are not nailed in properly and the ropes or the foundation is always suspect. Beth draws such apt comparisons throughout the story and this helps the readers in drawing up vivid visual imageries to drive home the message. I was blown away time and again by this, this being touted as a debut. As I said, there is something magical and compelling in Beth's lucid writing style that draws in a reader and keeps them hooked on. While the narrative wasn't quite pacey, there is enough suspense to keep you glued on and Elka has her own unique and strangely compelling POV where you want to stick around, to know her fate in the North. Especially since Beth employs the 'unreliable' narrator technique with her, with her murky past full of secrets you want to tear out of her own head. 

Quite a wonderful read, The Wolf Road reads like a polished gem, that confidently straddles multiple genres and gives us a heart-wrenching story of a young girl, out in the wild, discovering secrets about herself and also about relationships and the brutal unforgiving ways of a frontier world where survival is hard and emotions like love, is harder. I truly enjoyed this one! ( Special shout out to Amy McFadden who nails the emotional turmoil and the multiple voices of the story, spot-on!)