Perry's mom left when he was eight. He and his strong, silent dad moved to the north woods from St Paul, Minnesota, and Perry learned over the next three years to be alone. He wanted to forget too -his mom's leaving and the death of his little sister in a car his mom was driving. Perry has found a cave in the woods in which he spends most of his time, where he hears the howl of the lone wolf and draws cave pictures with charcoal. When Willow Pestalozzi invades his privacy, he is at first horrified at her questions, her constant chatter, and the fact that she's a girl. Aged 11, like himself, Willow is one of a large, noisy, messy, happy family, and gradually Perry becomes drawn into their magic circle. The very real pain that Perry and his silent dad suffer over their past tragedies is beautifully and sensitively drawn, and there is hope in the end that Perry will once more see his mother, whose letters he has refused even to read. Perry's feelings, unexpressed until the end, have an aching truth about them, and one feels that he will always suffer some level of trauma from his parents' inability to cope with the family tragedy.