Gone Wolf by Amber McBride (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Gone Wolf by Amber McBride Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor McBride, Amber Gone Wolf. Feiwel, 2023 [352p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250850492 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250850485 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad Gr. 4-6 In 2111, southern states have seceded from the United States to form the Bible Boot, presided over by President Tuba. The pale-skinned Clones there dominate and enslave Blue people, keeping them isolated and imprisoned until they are deemed fit to serve the Clones or work in the quarry, mining the material that extends Clones' lives. Inmate Eleven, who has dubbed herself Imogen in a small act of rebellion, is selected to serve Larkin, President Tuba's chosen son and successor. She's horrified by the world outside her cell, where Blues work in backbreaking conditions and are killed for any resistance, so when a fellow inmate informs her of an escape route, she dares to take it. The book then shifts to 2022, where Imogen is sharing with her therapist the story of Inmate Eleven and struggling with the trauma of the COVID-19 quarantine, the onslaught of news about violence against Black Americans, and her own loss of her brothers, Lark and Kin. While the premise that twelve-year-old Imogen authored the first half of the book can forgive its lack of subtlety, the expository, forced dialogue and secondary character explanations make both sections feel more browbeating than compelling, leaving little agency or interpretation to the reader. It's Imogen who offers the true, authentic point of connection, much like Callender's Moon in Moonflower (BCCB 07/22), and her vulnerability, horror, and grief will feel entirely relatable to kids who have just endured enough hardship to perhaps feel like they are in their own dystopia. [End Page 64] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois