The Black Wolf
By: Louise Penny
I love Penny’s books and I love Inspector Gamache… but I loved this book even more because it is so relevant to our current times. My son’s work is in atmospheric water harvesting which inspires me to learn about our most precious natural resource. This story is fun, scary, thought provoking, and genuine!
“That was how mistakes were made, how cracks formed. Hope lured people closer to the edge, to the shore. Not realizing that that was where the ice melted first.” p9
“It was an old townhouse, restored. The door, painted a glossy and cheery cherry red, opened right onto the sidewalk. It was attached to other houses on both sides, the homes, marching up and down the block, undivided, as though locking arms for support. For company. For security.” p124
“The power of words. All wars start with words. All conflicts start with early warnings that are ignored… The power of persuasion. And few places are more persuasive, more influential, than the internet. Social media. Eventually a critical mass is hit. A tipping point. Shit catches fire.” p133
“The diner was populated, sparsely, by the disoriented, the disenfranchised. Those without power. Without income, without jobs. Without hope.” p149
“The future is shaped every day by men and women who invent technologies. Often ones whose potential they don't understand. Often ones used far differently than their creators intended. Technologies which to our grandparents would have been science fiction.” p156
“At least, she knew what it was to lose your nerve. It happened to seasoned cops. To hardened veterans in battle. They suddenly broke. It was too much. They froze, or hid, or ran away. Not through cowardice. These were brave men and women. The fault lay in being asked to be superhuman. For far too long.” p199
“You're still living in a world where truth matters, where facts are important. They aren't anymore. They're fluid, and we're losing facts as fast as we're losing water.” p225
“James Woodford stepped in, closed the door behind him, turned, looked in the mirror, and came very close to needing a new pair of slacks.” p327