If you like thriller novels with emotional depth, moral complexity and searing social commentary; look no further than Ayelet Gundar-Goshen’s breathless latest The Wolf Hunt. The story of an Israeli woman living in Palo Alto who starts to suspect her 16-year-old son of committing a racially motivated crime, it’s as troubling and intense as it is accessible and brisk.
These 280 pages move at a relentless clip. Gundar-Goshen’s narrative is built on constant reveals and small twists, which makes The Wolf Hunt engrossing from the offset. It also puts us, with alarming precision, into the increasingly-disoriented mindset of its central character Lilach. She’s sharply constructed by Gundar-Goshen, who drip-feeds important information that is as often as effective (and affecting) as the narrative revelations.
The layers of thematic depth are handled with equal levels of precision. It’s a book about racial tensions, Israeli identity, emigration, bullying, parental expectations and, ultimately; the unknowability of others, even those closest to us. It’s enormously timely, whilst also speaking to universal truths about human relationships. As good a psychological thriller as you’ll read all year.
The Wolf Hunt, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (Pushkin)
Price: £16.99. Info: here
words TOM MORGAN