I purchased this book because it was something other than vampires. I read Ann Rice's "Interview with a Vampire" as a College Lit class assignment. I loved it. Could not put the book down. I figured if the Vampire book was that good, then this book held promise as a good read as well.
The first couple of chapters start out a little slow for my taste. I usually like books to jump into the story a bit faster. I almost put the book down, based on the first three of chapters. The main character, Reuben, a newspaper reporter with a Master's Degree in English, interviews a lady, Marchant, who is trying to sell a large old house that she inherited from her uncle. The uncle went missing 20 years ago and has finally been declared dead. His will named Marchant the sole heir to his entire estate. The house has been in the family for generations and has a history of its own, but nothing so intriguing as the story behind Uncle Felix and his disappearance.
Spending a few days with Marchant, Reuben falls in love with her, the house, and with Uncle Felix’s story, papers, and the artifacts he left behind. He tells her he’ll buy the house from her. Before he can do anything about the house or the story he’s writing for the newspaper, Reuben, Marchant and the old housekeeper are attacked by her two drug addict brothers who show up to rob the estate yet again. They end up killing Marchant and the housekeeper and would have killed Reuben too if they had not been killed themselves by a mysterious animal. The only marks on Reuben's body were those left by the attackers, and one bite mark left by the animal. Neither Reuben nor the authorities can figure out what the animal was or why it killed the two attackers but left Reuben alive.
While Rueben recovers from his wounds, he and his family begin to notice some physical changes – his wounds heal too quickly, his hair gets thicker, his eyes become darker in color, he starts hearing conversations between people who are too far away for him to be able to hear. Soon enough, he takes on other changes, becoming a man wolf at night, and rescuing his fellow San Francisco residents from violent attacks. His boss asks him to write about these attacks and interview the people rescued. Judging by the reaction to his attacks, and his stories, Reuben begins to realize he can’t stay in San Francisco and moves out to the Marchent’s house, the house she changed her will to leave him the day she was killed. From this isolated location, Reuben must figure out the conditions under which he changes between wolf and human, how to control the change, how to handle his new found gift.
This book is told in third person, only showing Reuben's side of the story. You don't get to see or hear what anyone else is doing, except through Reuben's thoughts and actions. It's probably the best method for this story. It makes it totally Reuben's story. Like "Interview with a Vampire", Ann Rice's "The Wolf Gift" is a great read. Once you get into the book, it's hard to put down. You'll want to keep reading to find out what happens.
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