Charlotte McConaghy echoes many of the themes of The Last Migration here and there are similiarities in the character of Franny Stone with that of Inti Flynn in this raw, profoundly moving, atmospheric and powerful novel. Inti is a biologist who is spearheading the reintroduction of 14 grey wolves in a rewilding project in the Scottish Highlands in an effort to balance the degraded ecosystems from the overpopulation of deer. There haven't been wolves in Scotland for centuries, Inti believes the environment needs predators for the environment to be in balance and to thrive. She and her damaged twin sister Aggie have arrived from Alaska, and Inti hopes that her sister, with whom she is so closely bonded, and the environment will heal, Aggie has serious mental health issues and difficulties when it comes to communication. The narrative goes back and forth in time, revealing Inti's childhood, the secrets, and her past, going on to reveal the horrors of what happened in Alaska.

The twins have spent time with their father in the wilds of the forests of British Columbia, learning subsistence living and how to co-exist with nature. At the other end of the scale, they have been immersed in urban living in Sydney, Australia where their mother is a detective who has seen the darker side of humanity, she has taught them to be more cautious, learning to distrust people and the importance of self defence. Inti has the special gift of mirror touch synesthesia, both a blessing and a curse, allowing her to experience the pain of others. As might be expected, many locals, including farmers, worried about their livestock, are hostile and apprehensive about the introduction of wolves and the battlelines are drawn. Inti will do whatever it takes to protect Aggie and the wolves, and when a death occurs, she makes some questionable decisions, getting drawn into the mystery amidst rising tensions. With a relationship developing between Inti and Sheriff Duncan MacTavish, can she trust him?

In this emotionally gripping, haunting, and well researched story of violence, loss, abuse, trauma, fear, survival and conservation, McConaghy gives us stellar characterisation and provides rich and vivid descriptions of the Scottish location, the challenges that the endangered wolves face, and the differing characteristics of the wolves. This is a multilayered, outstanding and hopeful novel, unforgettable, dwelling on the complexities of human nature, our flawed humanity that damages the environment and its ecosystems to such dangerous levels, and focusing on a specific rewilding project intended to address some of this harm. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This is an exceptional and interesting story. I totally believed in the concept of rewinding and was fascinated by the details of the wolves and their behaviour. Inti, who is the leader of the team in charge of the wolves, has an interesting condition called mirror synesthesia which causes her to literally feel the pain of others. She is caring for her twin sister, Aggie, who has suffered terrible abuse by her husband, The team encounter hostility and opposition by the local farmers and villagers. More stories of abuse come to light (too many) and a missing person does not help the wolves cause. The story builds to a dramatic conclusion.

A beautifully written homage to nature. I loved Migrations, Once there were wolves certainly lives up to it. A biologist attempts to reintroduce wolves in the Scottish Highlands - I learned a lot about the importance of predators for the entire ecosystem. There is also a mystery to be solved!

This was a great story! It is a story about learning to trust again. Obviously the wolves are the main stars , with the little Scottish community being a collective MC itself, as well as Inti and Duncan- two complex and imperfect human beings. The book made me curious to find out if reintroducing wolves to Scotland was an actual Thing- and there ARE plans to. I never realised deer could be such a big problem in terms of preserving the ecosystem: by killing off their natural predators, the deer have been free to eat the new growth and seedlings essential to forests surviving and thriving. This was a very touching story. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

From the author of what was probably my favourite novel of last year, comes another masterpiece. Like its predecessor, Once There Were Wolves combines climate fiction with an intimate character portrait of trauma, isolation and the patterns we evolve in order to survive.

“When we were eight, Dad cut me open from throat to stomach.”

That’s how McConaghy first introduces us to her characters, through a memory… Although we soon learn that it’s not quite what you may at first think, it’s one of the most intriguing opening lines in fiction I’ve encountered in a while. It also sets the tone perfectly for what’s to follow.

Our narrator Inti and her twin sister Aggy have grown up inseparable through an unconventional childhood and the tumultuous years after. Their connection is strengthened even further due to Inti’s unusual neurological condition, mirror-touch-synaesthesia, causing her brain to interpret every sensation she sees as if it were happening to her own body. Inti’s almost obsessive devotion to her job as a wolf-biologist uproots the two to the remote Scottish highlands, on a mission to introduce a population of wolves back into the ecosystem. Unfortunately, much to the dislike of the local farming community.
What follows is a tense exploration of family- and pack-mentality, a melancholic portrait of the effects of emotional and physical violence on a joint life, and a hint of murder mystery to increase the stakes even further.

“Trauma can create new patterns. I'm no stranger to this.”

There’s little praise to be sung about Once There Were Wolves, that I haven’t already gushed about at length when talking about Migrations. McConaghy is a master of character writing, especially when it comes to the flawed, yet realistic coping-mechanisms they employ to survive. Like Franny, both Aggy and Inti are pushed to the brink, their deeply co-dependent relationship a by-product of their history together. Their stories aren’t easy ones to read, but told in McConaghy’s stunning prose and paralleled with lush nature-writing, they make for the perfect melancholic and haunting tales that linger long after you close the book.

My one and only critique is the use of mirror-touch-synaesthesia as a plot-point. It felt just a little on the nose, and overly melodramatic to me in its presentation. From a medical standpoint, yes, this condition is real. It’s also extremely rare, and almost never as literal or severe as portrayed here. It’s by no means problematic, but I’m personally iffy about the use of medical conditions, especially in this kind of stylized form, as plot motifs. In this case, I don’t think the story benefitted from it too much: Inti’s sensitive and empathetic nature would have come across just fine without.

Overall: McConaghy has quickly joined the list of my favourite modern authors, and I’m highly anticipating whatever she writes next.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC, based off my review of Migrations. For the sake of disclosure: I'd pre-ordered this novel with my own money in advance as I'd like to support the authors work in the future. All opinions are genuine and my own.

I very much enjoyed this book.
For me it felt an emotional read,the siblings childhood,their current life,and the wolves.
Beyond that I find it hard to put into words a review.
I'll leave it by saying its worth a few hours of anyones time.