A review by unboxedjack
The Cautious Traveller's Guide To the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks was an incredible debut novel that I could very much see myself returning to due to its vast richness. The story takes us through the travails and travels of the Trans-Siberian Railway, traversing between Beijing and Moscow at the end of the 19th century. Along this railway is a landscape called the Wastelands, filled with imagined horrors the traveller is encouraged to not attend to for fear of devolving into insanity.

Each section is offset by portions of the eponymous guide written by a trip advisor years earlier. Within each of these portions are chapters written from the perspective of a diverse ensemble of characters. Though I enjoy this type of story, it did take some effort to recall which character was which, but this didn't detract from the bulk of the story.

This book didn't hurt for thematic content. Critiques of globalization, colonialism, capitalism, and xenophobia abound. Yet themes of searching for identity through twin pursuits of individuality & community, ecological stewardship, and what it means to be human are sprinkled throughout just as liberally.

Brooks deftly combines the best elements of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula K. Leguin, Susanna Clarke, and Josiah Bancroft in this wonderful book. It hit all my magical realist needs in a wonderfully diverse historical fiction setting. All in all a 4.25/5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC edition in exchange for an honest opinion. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings