History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

Mattie/Linda is a young girl growing up in a cabin in the woods formerly housing a commune. Things got uncomfortable with that venue, and everyone moved away except for Mattie and her parents. There are problems with the heat, an outhouse instead of a bathroom. Mattie lives most of her life searching and learning the woods.

Soon a family moves in across the lake in a house that is more like a mansion than a home. A couple and their young son. Mattie becomes the babysitter for this couple. The father, Leo, is not there too much, so Mattie becomes close to the mother, Patra, and the young boy, Paul.
Paul seems to have mental issues and is just a little bit protected. He is sometimes a little alarming in his behavior.

While Mattie is attending school, a classmate, Lily, claims that their teacher, Mr. Grierson, attacked her and she has become pregnant. This seems to fascinate Mattie. It is almost as if she wishes this could be her.

I almost gave up on the book 6 chapters in. That is usually my cut-off point if a book hasn't captured my interest. I kept reading, though, and was taken with the loneliness you feel in Mattie and her yearning to be something, to feel important. 

I thought the book skipped around a little too much, with no real understanding of what was really going on. There was a lot of switching the story from one point to another, without a clear understanding of why.

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