Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jodiesackettbrown 's review for:
The Wilderwomen
by Ruth Emmie Lang
Nora Wilder's disappearance has left Zadie isolated and lonely, separated from her younger sister--who she was not allowed to take care of and was placed with a loving foster family--and desperate to find Nora, to reunite their family. Zadie and Finn embark on a journey to do just that, chasing any trail they can across half the country in hopes of saving Nora, whom Zadie is convinced would never leave them of her own free will. Along the way, Zadie and Finn discover things about each other and about Nora they didn't know, things that help heal the damaged relationship. Complicating things is Zadie's discovery of her own pregnancy and the fear that she will repeat her mother's mistakes, not to mention the fact that Finn begins exhibiting some of the signs Nora had before her fateful flight from the girls.
There is an underlying lament in this book about the loss of mother-daughter relationships through no one's particular fault, a result of mental illness and/or dementia that surprises all who are touched by its destructiveness. I loved Zadie's and Finn's attempts to restore their relationship, and I loved that a foster family is finally shown in a positive light instead of as the evil monsters they are often portrayed to be. The choices Finn and Zadie have to face leave me feeling as anxious as the characters reveal themselves to be. I definitely recommend the book to those who are interested in generational trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and self-determination. Though the pace is slower than I'm used to, the story is very engaging because the characters are well crafted.
There is an underlying lament in this book about the loss of mother-daughter relationships through no one's particular fault, a result of mental illness and/or dementia that surprises all who are touched by its destructiveness. I loved Zadie's and Finn's attempts to restore their relationship, and I loved that a foster family is finally shown in a positive light instead of as the evil monsters they are often portrayed to be. The choices Finn and Zadie have to face leave me feeling as anxious as the characters reveal themselves to be. I definitely recommend the book to those who are interested in generational trauma, mother-daughter relationships, and self-determination. Though the pace is slower than I'm used to, the story is very engaging because the characters are well crafted.