WOLF TOTEM

In this autobiographical novel set in the 1960s, the author leaves his life as an intellectual in Bejing and goes to the remote grasslands of Mongolia. There he becomes enthralled with the nomadic life and the synergies between the mongols and their environment, particularly the wolves with whom they share the grasslands. The long passages of exposition and description are handled adroitly by Jason Culp. Maintaining a strong, steady pace, he adopts the air of an interested observer who is at times surprised by what he sees and hears. He uses accents to draw out the contrast between the speech patterns and tonality of the Mongols, the students among them, and the Chinese who later come to drive the people into the modern world. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]