The story behind this 2017 novel is so sad it can only be true. Blain started writing this novel about a woman called Ester who has a brain tumour. She then found out one of her friends had a brain tumour, and she worried about the book’s impact on her friend. Then Blain found out she herself had a brain tumour, and died not long after the book’s publication.
Between a wolf and dog is apparently translated from a French phrase, referencing the time of night just after sunset when it is difficult to determine the shape of a wolf from a dog, or a friend from an enemy. The novel is set mostly during one rainy Sydney day; its ending is quite devastating but oh so right. All the characters are fully formed and the writing is immeasurably beautiful. This is the kind of book you press on your friends and say if you don’t like this book, we can’t be friends anymore.
