Overview

“No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how—regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee—the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading.” —Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls “Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged.” —Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running “Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike.” —Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom and Youngblood After a hurricane devastates a small town in upstate New York, the lives of three women and their young children are irrevocably changed. Rin, an Iraq War veteran, tries to protect her blind daughter and the three wolves under her care. Naema, a widowed doctor who fled Iraq with her wounded son, faces life-threatening injuries. Beth, who is raising a troubled son, waits out her Marine husband’s deployment in Afghanistan, equally afraid of him coming home and of him never returning at all. As they struggle to maintain their humanity and find hope, their war-torn lives collide in a way that will affect their entire community. Helen Benedict is the author of seven novels, including Sand Queen, a Publishers Weekly “Best Contemporary War Novel”; five works of nonfiction about justice, women, soldiers, and war; and the play The Lonely Soldier Monologues: Women at War in Iraq. She lives in New York.

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9781942658306

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Reviews

No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how--regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee--the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading. --Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged. --Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike. --Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom and Youngblood

-No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how--regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee--the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading.- --Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls -Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged.- --Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running -Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike.- --Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom and Youngblood

Military Times Winter Reading Guide selectionColumbia Magazine Reading List selectionLiterary Hub Books Making News selection Wolf Season is honest about suffering, trauma, and the difficulty of healing after war. . . . [The novel] reminds us that we do what's best for our family--our pack--even if it's the thing that hurts the most. --Chronogram The novel moves between striking passages that speak war's truth and heartfelt stories about how women--and mothers--experience war and its aftermath. While there are male soldiers in Wolf Season, women's experience is at the forefront. . . . Told with honesty and empathy, Wolf Season is a contemporary tale about how the war always comes home. --Washington Independent Review of Books Extraordinary insight and sensitivity . . . offering a unique and multi-dimensional perspective on women as veterans today in the U.S. --HuffPost The best way to make moral choices is to understand the experiences of others. And fictional literature like Wolf Season can take us to a heightened level of understanding about the experience of war. --Michigan Daily [Benedict is] at the top of her game here. . . . The book includes an Author's Note plus 'A Conversation with Helen Benedict, ' as well as conversation starter questions for book groups. And discussion is exactly what's needed. Words are healing, whether spoken or written. --Woven Tale Press Gives readers a deep sense of what it takes to survive and the terrible toll war and loneliness extracts not only on those who go to war but also those waiting at home. --North of Oxford Wolf Season takes contemporary war-and-mil-writing preoccupation with dogs to its fantastical-yet-logical extension. . . . Rin and Naema are compellingly drawn, as are Rin's daughter Juney and Naema's son Tariq and the three wolves, Gray, Silver, and Ebony. Most striking, however, are two male characters, Louis Martin and Todd Wycombe, both veterans struggling to be men worthy of respect. --Time Now Unflinching. . . . In a book that deserves the widest attention, Benedict 'follows the war home, ' engaging readers with an insightful story right up until the gut-wrenching conclusion. --Library Journal (starred review) Affecting. . . . The 'very long reach of war' transcends generations. --Kirkus Reviews Gripping. . . . A low level of dread builds slowly, drawing readers toward the inevitable climactic clash, though Benedict's memorable and complicated characterization is the true highlight. --Publishers Weekly Compelling. . . . Benedict doesn't shy away from her characters' very different faults as they grasp for courage and resilience during their dark times. --Booklist [Helen Benedict] has emerged as one of our most thoughtful and provocative writers of war literature. --David Abrams, author of Fobbit and Brave Deeds, at the Quivering Pen A novel of love, loss, and survival, Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike. Helen Benedict has delivered yet again, and contemporary war literature is much the better for it. --Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War and Youngblood Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged. --Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running The Iraq War. Disability. Women on and off the battlefield. AND WOLVES! . . . [An] extraordinary new novel. --Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World, at Carolineleavittville No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how--regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee--the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading. --Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls Wolf Season is honest about suffering, trauma, and the difficulty of healing after war. . . . [The novel] reminds us that we do what's best for our family--our pack--even if it's the thing that hurts the most. --Chronogram The novel moves between striking passages that speak war's truth and heartfelt stories about how women--and mothers--experience war and its aftermath. While there are male soldiers in Wolf Season, women's experience is at the forefront. . . . Told with honesty and empathy, Wolf Season is a contemporary tale about how the war always comes home. --Washington Independent Review of Books Extraordinary insight and sensitivity . . . offering a unique and multi-dimensional perspective on women as veterans today in the U.S. --HuffPost The best way to make moral choices is to understand the experiences of others. And fictional literature like Wolf Season can take us to a heightened level of understanding about the experience of war. --Michigan Daily [Benedict is] at the top of her game here. . . . The book includes an Author's Note plus 'A Conversation with Helen Benedict, ' as well as conversation starter questions for book groups. And discussion is exactly what's needed. Words are healing, whether spoken or written. --Woven Tale Press Gives readers a deep sense of what it takes to survive and the terrible toll war and loneliness extracts not only on those who go to war but also those waiting at home. --North of Oxford Wolf Season takes contemporary war-and-mil-writing preoccupation with dogs to its fantastical-yet-logical extension. . . . Rin and Naema are compellingly drawn, as are Rin's daughter Juney and Naema's son Tariq and the three wolves, Gray, Silver, and Ebony. Most striking, however, are two male characters, Louis Martin and Todd Wycombe, both veterans struggling to be men worthy of respect. --Time Now Unflinching. . . . In a book that deserves the widest attention, Benedict 'follows the war home, ' engaging readers with an insightful story right up until the gut-wrenching conclusion. --Library Journal (starred review) Affecting. . . . The 'very long reach of war' transcends generations. --Kirkus Reviews Gripping. . . . A low level of dread builds slowly, drawing readers toward the inevitable climactic clash, though Benedict's memorable and complicated characterization is the true highlight. --Publishers Weekly Compelling. . . . Benedict doesn't shy away from her characters' very different faults as they grasp for courage and resilience during their dark times. --Booklist [Helen Benedict] has emerged as one of our most thoughtful and provocative writers of war literature. --David Abrams, author of Fobbit and Brave Deeds, at the Quivering Pen A novel of love, loss, and survival, Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike. Helen Benedict has delivered yet again, and contemporary war literature is much the better for it. --Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War and Youngblood Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged. --Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running The Iraq War. Disability. Women on and off the battlefield. AND WOLVES! . . . [An] extraordinary new novel. --Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World, at Carolineleavittville No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how--regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee--the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading. --Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls No one writes with more authority or cool-eyed compassion about the experience of women in war both on and off the battlefield than Helen Benedict. In Wolf Season, she shows us the complicated ways in which the lives of those who serve and those who don't intertwine and how--regardless of whether you are a soldier, the family of a soldier, or a refugee--the war follows you and your children for generations. Wolf Season is more than a novel for our times; it should be required reading. --Elissa Schappell, author of Use Me and Blueprints for Building Better Girls Fierce and vivid and full of hope, this story of trauma and resilience, of love and family, of mutual aid and solidarity in the aftermath of a brutal war is nothing short of magic. Helen Benedict is the voice of an American conscience that has all too often been silenced. To read these pages is to be transported to a world beyond hype and propaganda to see the human cost of war up close. This is not a novel that allows you to walk away unchanged. --Cara Hoffman, author of Be Safe I Love You and Running Wolf Season delves into the complexities and murk of the after-war with blazing clarity. You will come to treasure these characters for their strengths and foibles alike. --Matt Gallagher, author of Kaboom and Youngblood

Author Information

Helen Benedict, a professor at Columbia University, writes frequently about justice, women, soldiers, and war. She is the author of seven novels, including Wolf Season (forthcoming from Bellevue Literary Press) and Sand Queen, a Publishers Weekly “Best Contemporary War Novel.” A recipient of both the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, Benedict is also the author of five works of nonfiction and the play The Lonely Soldier Monologues: Women at War in Iraq. She lives in New York.

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