IN THE COMPANY OF WOLVES

A preteen explores what it means to be a man during a summer on the family ranch in New Mexico in Farías’ low-key debut novel.

After his Mexican American father dies in the Vietnam War, rising seventh grader Jaime Cieza and his family face eviction. Hoping to rebuild their lives, Jaime’s Puerto Rican mom concocts a last-ditch plan: She’ll stay in New York to find a job and new home, as well as stop Jaime’s spirited older brother, Kiko, from joining the Marines. Jaime will go to Albuquerque to live with his tough-as-nails Abuela and shrewd Tío Julio, a veteran who survived Vietnam. As the summer rolls on, Jaime settles into ranch life, learning how to shoot a rifle, feed the chickens, and bond with Shadow Walker, the fierce, stubborn mustang who was his dad’s favorite horse. The days become more interesting thanks to Marcy Barnes, a white-presenting girl from a nearby ranch who’s roughly Jaime’s age. When an old wolf people call Graybeard returns to the llano, threatening the local livestock, Jaime joins his Tío Julio on the hunt, in the process finding out just how much his world has changed. Some of Abuela’s social attitudes, for example about skin tone and Indigenous beliefs, may surprise readers, who must unpack and contextualize them without explicit support from the text. Languid in pace and rich in dialogue, this strongly characterized tale of self-discovery gently dissects adolescence through the lenses of war, familial lineage, and gender roles.

A mellow, keenly observed coming-of-age journey.