Title: A Reason for Being
Author: Libby Andrews
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-17283-9673-6
Pages: 170
Genre: Fiction / Science Fiction
Reviewed By: Susan Brown
Pacific Book Review
Humans and wolves have many similarities — strong family bonds, distinct individual personalities, adaptability to a changing world and characteristics of both intelligence and resourcefulness. So, what would it look like if the two species merged? That merging, wolf in human form, is at the nucleus of this fantasy novel set 200 years after the nuclear bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in Japan was dropped. After this disastrous event, the remaining countries joined forces to ban nuclear weapons. The ban didn’t last and the area in which humans coexist with the human/wolf species is the last remaining habitable place on earth. It’s called Ikigai, translated “a reason for being.”
The unrest that pervades this story is the conflict between the two species. The human/wolf beings, who hide their wolfness by existing in human form, are being hunted to extinction by the humans, who are equally afraid of being wiped out in a reverse extermination. The story is structured by character. Each chapter captures a specific character’s voice and perspective. The protagonist is Sora Sakurai, an angry, disenchanted lone wolf who lost her family in a devastating attack against her kind. She’s a renegade, distancing herself from friends and the community, afraid she will somehow expose her wolf form.
The antagonist is Taiyo, an alpha wolf who, in addition to wanting to wipe out the human race, has the ability to manipulate others. He, and his army of wolves, are intent on war against the humans and he uses his powers of manipulation to bring all sides together in an epic battle. All of this turmoil takes place against the backdrop of Sora discovering that she is the savior of her race and her struggle to accept that role. She comes to the realization that she must carry this mantle because in her words, “All I’ve ever wanted since I was a cub was for humans and wolves to be at peace. If I had the chance to make that happen, then I can only try. I have to have hope.”
There are multiple plot twists full of intrigue, secrets coming to light and unexpected alliances being made. The narrative jumps around, based on the character who’s talking, which is an engaging way to keep the story moving along. Themes of racial prejudice, good and evil, gender identity and feelings of not belonging play out metaphorically in the character development and conflict.
The author has found a way to couch a message of courage, faith and hope in this, her first novel, that is inspirational in message and espoused so succinctly by Sora, “I guess you just have to find a reason … a reason for being, whether it’s a passion, a mission, a profession, a vocation, or love. It’s a long journey of self-discovery, but when you find it. You fight for it.”
