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A review by donnaeve
Wildland by Rebecca Hodge
5.0
Rebecca Hodge's debut novel, WILDLAND gave my heart a workout and I didn't even have to leave my chair!
The story about a woman (Kat) who is battling the return of her breast cancer, and her decision as to whether or not to forego anymore treatments drives her decision to stay for a month in the Blue Ridge mountains. Her daughter, Sara, wants her to continue to fight her disease, but Kat isn't sure that's what she should do. She has a "what's the use, the outcome won't change," sort of demeanor about it.
She believes if she takes some time away, it might help her decide. Thirty days in the mountains can't be bad, right? After arriving at the cabin where Kat stayed with her now deceased husband, another loss that enforces her lack of will to live, her daughter Sara springs a little surprise on her - Juni, a labrador who needs a home. Kat is not thrilled whatsoever, but acquiesces under Sara's urging that she "needs a dog."
Other key characters are introduced, people staying in the cabins nearby, like Malcolm who bears a horrible scar on his face from war, his adopted son, Nirav who's seen plenty of trauma too, and Scott, a self-centered father of Lily, a typical young teen girl who we will learn is seeking how to connect to her father, and last of all Tye, a puppy trapped in some underbrush, that Kat and Lily find on an impromptu hike.
Each and every one of these characters - even the dogs - will play a key role in a story that then launches readers into a harrowing account of what it might be like to wake up, and suddenly realize you only have a few minutes to escape or be trapped by a wildfire that is ascending the hill toward you.
Rebecca Hodge lays out her story with the day and time, and for me, this blip of information at the start of each chapter upped my anxiety level. There was something about knowing exactly how much time had passed that further fueled my turning of the pages. Along the way, I did something I've never EVER done before. As the story progressed, at one point I had to peek ahead to check on something. The outcome was that important, I was that invested in what might happen.
I never look ahead in a story! WILDLAND changed that forever.
A great debut by a talented writer.
The story about a woman (Kat) who is battling the return of her breast cancer, and her decision as to whether or not to forego anymore treatments drives her decision to stay for a month in the Blue Ridge mountains. Her daughter, Sara, wants her to continue to fight her disease, but Kat isn't sure that's what she should do. She has a "what's the use, the outcome won't change," sort of demeanor about it.
She believes if she takes some time away, it might help her decide. Thirty days in the mountains can't be bad, right? After arriving at the cabin where Kat stayed with her now deceased husband, another loss that enforces her lack of will to live, her daughter Sara springs a little surprise on her - Juni, a labrador who needs a home. Kat is not thrilled whatsoever, but acquiesces under Sara's urging that she "needs a dog."
Other key characters are introduced, people staying in the cabins nearby, like Malcolm who bears a horrible scar on his face from war, his adopted son, Nirav who's seen plenty of trauma too, and Scott, a self-centered father of Lily, a typical young teen girl who we will learn is seeking how to connect to her father, and last of all Tye, a puppy trapped in some underbrush, that Kat and Lily find on an impromptu hike.
Each and every one of these characters - even the dogs - will play a key role in a story that then launches readers into a harrowing account of what it might be like to wake up, and suddenly realize you only have a few minutes to escape or be trapped by a wildfire that is ascending the hill toward you.
Rebecca Hodge lays out her story with the day and time, and for me, this blip of information at the start of each chapter upped my anxiety level. There was something about knowing exactly how much time had passed that further fueled my turning of the pages. Along the way, I did something I've never EVER done before. As the story progressed, at one point I had to peek ahead to check on something. The outcome was that important, I was that invested in what might happen.
I never look ahead in a story! WILDLAND changed that forever.
A great debut by a talented writer.