Wolf Bells

"When the government abandons its most vulnerable citizens, others step in to protect them. That’s the hope, at any rate, and in Leni Zumas’ latest novel, it works – at least for a little while. The book follows a house where the elderly and infirm live, assisted by others who live there rent-free. But everything is thrown off-balance when two kids, who are being sought by the authorities, arrive. Zumas’ writing is arresting, and she writes with a compassion informed by a punk-rock spirit. This is a funny, bighearted novel with special resonance in our current era."