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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Good plot idea, but too vague
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Underwhelmed. World of potential but was constantly wanting more. Relationships left unexplored and conversations not had. Where was the learning? The detailed look into plant and animal life? A whisper, even, of traditional owners of the land?
I did love Bea, Agnes and Glen and there were some interesting conflicts but just a wee bit undercooked overall.
I did love Bea, Agnes and Glen and there were some interesting conflicts but just a wee bit undercooked overall.
We are about to discover the motherhood is a myth. Not all women all the time gleefully sacrifice everything needed for their children. The shock. Only thing even more dramatic is that the wilderness is wild.
Midway through reading this book I went on safari and my face got dirty and I got sun after weeks of feeling COVID cooped up. I highly recommend somehow getting outdoors, around trees, while reading this incredible book or your soul might feel empty at the end.
Parts of this remind me of previous Booker nominees in good ways:
The dystopian but believable “this-is-where-we-are-heading” of Lancaster’s The Wall
The connection with land and nature in Powers’ the Overstory.
The bleak day to day of wilderness survival with male egos in Moss’ Ghost Wall
The complexity of motherhood in Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive.
There’s something new here, while I complain a lot about complicated mother daughter relationships always topping awards lists (e.g. Everything Under, My Name is Lucy Barton, Bottled Goods - though I loved some of these!). Bea and Agnes have new complexities here. An animal survival and what protection of your young might actually mean.
I loved this book in the same way that I loved Overstory. It creates a longing for something we are losing but might also never have had. And some kind of distant hope that even though we might lose these things we need we will still value them. I don’t know why that’s hopeful, perhaps Cook just makes you cling to precious little, or at least appreciate the fact that we are all just animals, humans just happen to be pretty crappy ones.
Parts of this remind me of previous Booker nominees in good ways:
The dystopian but believable “this-is-where-we-are-heading” of Lancaster’s The Wall
The connection with land and nature in Powers’ the Overstory.
The bleak day to day of wilderness survival with male egos in Moss’ Ghost Wall
The complexity of motherhood in Luiselli’s Lost Children Archive.
There’s something new here, while I complain a lot about complicated mother daughter relationships always topping awards lists (e.g. Everything Under, My Name is Lucy Barton, Bottled Goods - though I loved some of these!). Bea and Agnes have new complexities here. An animal survival and what protection of your young might actually mean.
I loved this book in the same way that I loved Overstory. It creates a longing for something we are losing but might also never have had. And some kind of distant hope that even though we might lose these things we need we will still value them. I don’t know why that’s hopeful, perhaps Cook just makes you cling to precious little, or at least appreciate the fact that we are all just animals, humans just happen to be pretty crappy ones.
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book, but I found Anges to be insufferable, Bea’s wasn’t much better to be honest. I think it had a lot of really cool potential especially with survival elements, which is why I picked it up. But I think if you’re looking for a story about survival I would say that is second to family and people drama. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but in this case I didn’t enjoy it, as all the characters were annoying and I wasn't really rooting for any of them.
And then ending really felt like nothing, and was pretty disappointing.
And then ending really felt like nothing, and was pretty disappointing.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced