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Book Review By L. Watson
Second Nature by Alice Hoffman

They called him the Wolf Man. He was found by two hunters who discovered him dressed completely in furs living among the wolves as one of them. He was sent to a hospital in Manhattan where the doctors tried without success to get him to speak and the nurses watched him nervously. Finally the doctors concluded that he was beyond hope, his mind likely long gone, and arranged for him to be sent away to a state hospital.

Robin Moore has problems of her own. She's separated from her husband, who cheated on her constantly. She has a teenage son, Connor. Her grandfather can no longer care for himself. Her brother is the main doctor on the Wolf Man case. She goes to meet with her brother one afternoon when the Wolf Man is set to be taken away. When no one is looking, the Wolf Man speaks to her begging "Don't let them take me someplace." In a bit of a stretch on reality, Robin takes the Wolf Man home with her.



Stephen is the Wolf Man's name. As Robin teaches Stephen how to be a man and how not to be a wolf. Other personal dramas are occurring around her. Robin's lifelong best friend deals with her rebellious teenage daughter, who, unknown to them, is dating Connor. Robin's grandfather rails against his failing body. Stephen struggles with the strange feelings Robin inspires in him. The characters go about living their everyday lives as Stephen learns to speak. Robin learns to hope and view her own life more positively as she teaches Stephen and comes to love him. But there is no happily ever after for the characters.





Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric:
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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