A review by readingundertheradar
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

5.0

Excellent book that combined contemporary fiction with a mystery story line and a well-paced unfolding of events. The characters were also fully developed with complex thoughts and feelings, flaws, and individual issues.

The ending:

Spoiler

I do see how people may be frustrated by the ending, like "Oh, he was just able to hypnotize them?" But the power of suggestion is extremely realistic, and this is exactly how many people end up in cults, dangerous situations, or victims of domestic violence stuck in those relationships. I did appreciate the book and how it showed how one person could manipulate people like that and the devastating effects it could have.

CW: manipulation, illness of an infant, public execution, difficult parental relationships (particularly between a mother and daughter), gun violence, death on page, emotional & verbal abuse