Annie and the Wolves - by Andromeda Romano-Lax (Paperback)

About the Book

"Annie Oakley's Wild West Americana and time travel come together in this genre-defying novel that explores trauma and the cost of female revenge. Ruth McClintock is obsessed with the past. For nearly a decade, she has been studying Annie Oakley, convinced that the legendary sharpshooter experienced a scarring event in adolescence that led her to fight for the right of every American woman to own and operate a gun. This fruitless search has cost Ruth her doctorate, a book deal, and her fiancâe. But Ruth may finally have the evidence she is looking for. She has managed to hunt down a journal purporting to be a "true account" of Oakley's midlife struggles, including secret visits to psychologist Josef Breuer and the desire for vengeance against the "Wolves," or the men who have wronged her. With the help of Reece, a tech-savvy senior at the local high school, Ruth attempts to establish the journal's provenance, but she begins to have out-of-body episodes that she soon believes to be time travel, taking her through Annie's lived experiences. As she solves Annie's mysteries, she also confronts her own, from the reasons behind her teenage sister's suicide to visions of a tragedy in her Minnesota town that she might be able to prevent"--

Book Synopsis

A modern-day historian finds her life intertwined with Annie Oakley's in an electrifying novel that explores female revenge and the allure of changing one's past.

Ruth McClintock is obsessed with Annie Oakley. For nearly a decade, she has been studying the legendary sharpshooter, convinced that a scarring childhood event was the impetus for her crusade to arm every woman in America. This search has cost Ruth her doctorate, a book deal, and her fiancé--but finally it has borne fruit. She has managed to hunt down what may be a journal of Oakley's midlife struggles, including secret visits to a psychoanalyst and the desire for vengeance against the "Wolves," or those who have wronged her.

With the help of Reece, a tech-savvy senior at the local high school, Ruth attempts to establish the journal's provenance, but she's begun to have jarring out-of-body episodes parallel to Annie's own lived experiences. As she solves Annie's mysteries, Ruth confronts her own truths, including the link between her teenage sister's suicide and an impending tragedy in her Minnesota town that Ruth can still prevent.

Review Quotes

Praise for Annie and the Wolves

"I have long been a fan of Andromeda Romano-Lax's work, and this is her best novel yet. Separated by more than a century, the lives of American icon Annie Oakley and modern historian Ruth McClintock are intertwined in ways you could never guess. Delving into the human psyche, the novel explores how we navigate time and memory, and how we struggle to heal from trauma both historically and on a deeply personal level. Are justice and revenge the answer? Or can we dare to hope to change the past? When this story grabs hold of you, and it will, there will be no setting it down until you've finished the last page. A morally complex, genre-shattering thriller."
--Eowyn Ivey, New York Times bestselling author of To the Bright Edge of the World and the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child

"I've always held a special place in my heart for Annie Oakley, and Andromeda Romano-Lax has forever transformed my vision of the famous sharpshooter in such a fresh, deep, moving way. I love how this novel plays with the malleability of time--how trauma can alter it, how healing can transcend it, how human connection can enrich it immeasurably. Time disappeared as I read Annie and the Wolves--a compelling, unforgettable read."
--Gayle Brandeis, award-winning author of The Book of Dead Birds

"Annie and the Wolves intrigued me with its countless twists and turns. It's a Mobius Strip of history, time travel and complex characters, all masterfully woven into a suspenseful and satisfying ending. Bravo."
--Kim Heacox, author of Jimmy Bluefeather

"Annie and the Wolves's primary appeal stems from its inability to be pegged into a single genre. Part historical fiction (Annie Oakley), part science fiction (time travel), and part literary fiction (a struggling modern-day historian), this book tackles abuse, secrets, and revenge. A fascinating story that leaves readers wondering how much our actions can influence the future."
--Beth Shapiro, Skylark Bookshop (Columbia, MO)

"An engrossing work of speculative fiction featuring a time-traveling Annie Oakley . . . Romano-Lax neatly weaves the parallel narratives of Oakley and Ruth, and juggles various literary devices and genres with aplomb. The dual storylines dovetail perfectly for a winning anthem of female power sustained across a century."
--Publishers Weekly

Praise for Andromeda Romano-Lax

"Riveting."
--People Magazine

"Will keep you mesmerized to the last page."
--Christian Science Monitor

"Shocking and thought-provoking . . . The intimate struggles of a woman weighing her value, utility, and satisfaction both within and outside the home certainly resonate today."
--The Boston Globe

"An engaging read which will not only entertain you but also teach you a great deal about these giants in the history of psychology, and the ethics of those times, which we now see as abhorrent."
--Psychology Today

About the Author

Andromeda Romano-Lax is the author of The Spanish Bow, a New York Times Editors' Choice that has been translated into 11 languages; The Detour; Behave; and Plum Rains, which won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, as well as numerous works of nonfiction. She is a co-founder of 49 Writers, a statewide literary organization in Alaska, and lives on a small island in British Columbia.