Lone Wolf [Paperback]

Lone Wolf is the story of a family brought back together through a terrible accident. When Luke Warren is bringing his teenage daughter, Cara, home from a party, the two of them crash, leaving Cara with a broken shoulder and Luke in a coma. Luke's ex-wife, who has remarried and has a new young family, calls their eldest child, son Edward who has been abroad and estranged for six years and he returns home.

There are, as always with Picoult's novels, many strands running through the novel and the story is told from several characters' perspectives. Luke Warren is a man obsessed with wolves and the study of their lifestyle - to the extent that he left his family and lived wild with a wolf pack in the remote Canadian forests for two years.

It was a fascinating insight into the lives of wolves and the level of research is impressive alongside the detail of the court case and medical references. The parallels between wolf behaviour and human behaviour are interesting too.

I have long been a fan of Jodi Picoult and I wasn't disappointed in this book. The story hooks you in, wanting to know about Luke's experiences in the wild with the wolves; wanting to know why Edward argued with his father and left his family; and wanting to know what Cara is hiding about the car accident. Having the chapters told by various characters adds to the story's dimension - exploring different viewpoints and emotions.

A good read - well written, well researched and as ever with a satisfying ending.

As a big Jodi Picoult fan I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I have read all of her other novels and enjoyed them (barring `Songs of The Humpback Whale' which I found to be a bit bland), so it was safe to say that I was anticipating an excellent read here.

Picoult definitely doesn't disappoint in this excellent story of a fractured family, hidden secrets and a horrific moral dilemma faced by an estranged brother and sister. I loved every word- the characterisation was excellent, settings believable and it really does make you think what you would do if you ever found yourself in a similar situation.

The book revolves around Cara and her father Luke, both injured in a car accident that unfortunately leaves Luke on a ventilator with a practically nil chance of waking- and even if he does, chances are he will be brain damaged. As Luke was a famous naturalist who has integrated himself into wild wolf packs, his estranged son questions whether his father would ever want to live such a different way of life. Cara meanwhile is determined to prove that any life at all, is at least worth living...

As the book unfolds, family secrets are brought to the fore which only adds further drama to the proceedings. Chapters are told from alternate characters perspectives which really adds a sense of tension to the story, as well as a degree of empathy and understanding as to what the family are going through.

I can concede other reviewer's reservations with this book however: first time readers may find her depth of detail and research slightly off-putting and indeed overwhelming at times, though I personally found it relevant to the plot; Picoult tells a narrative from Luke's perspective, in which the symbolism of the wolf-pack mirrors events occurring in his own family at the time. I found this to be an excellent device within the story with just enough level of detail around wolf packs to keep me interested, as well as educating me.

I have to admit that this book moves at a slightly slower pace than some of her earlier novels too, which other long time readers have highlighted. It is also more `clean cut' with its moral issue, in that suggestions right from the start of the story indicate the right decision to be made in the long term, though the journey in getting there is still a worthwhile narrative and (in my opinion) very worth a read.

I have deducted half a star merely because the supposed 'revelations' within the book were a little bit predictable. I suppose I expected a bit more twists and turns- this is a Jodi book after all! That is my only criticism of the novel however.

If you have not read a Picoult novel before then I would perhaps urge you to be a bit cautious in trying this one first- it is very different from some of her others. I would suggest starting with `Nineteen Minutes' or `Change of Heart' first and then move on to this one afterwards if you enjoy her style of writing. If you are a Picoult fan though, then you will enjoy it.

Its rare that I read a Jodi Picoult book that I don't enjoy but when I heard of the storyline, I did wonder whether I would enjoy reading so much about wolves. However the amount of research that was necessitated made for interesting reading and having these chapters narrated by Luke and hearing his voice throughout the book added an extra dimension. The book follows the usual JP formula but its one that seems to work.

Luke's estranged son, Edward, flies home from Thailand upon hearing from his mother Georgie about the accident involving his father and sister, Cara. Luke lies in a coma and Cara requires surgery for her injuries. Cara blames Edward for breaking up the family by running away 6 years previously and thus causing the subsequent divorce between Luke and Georgie. Georgie has now remarried and has a new family whereas Luke's family is Cara and the wolves that he looks after. As the story progresses you learn more about Luke and eventually the reason why Edward left so quickly. The antagonism that Cara feels towards Edward leads to a courtroom battle as who will have the right to become Luke's medical representative - Edward believes that his father wouldn't want to live whilst Cara is determined to keep her father alive at any cost. Cara came across as being quite immature in her reasoning and towards the end, we learn the truth of a secret she is hiding that is hinted at throughout the book.

I enjoyed reading this, it was interesting and I became engrossed in the story. It seems to have received a varied response by way of review but to my mind JP just writes a story so well and they are a pleasure to read.