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A review by betweenbookends
The Wildlands by Abby Geni
4.0
I’ve previously read and loved Abby Geni’s short story collection, The Last Animal and her debut novel, The Lightkeepers. So I was very excited to get to this and I’m glad to report that it was worth a read. The Wildlands, to me, felt like a slight deviant from her usual style. While the inherent theme of environment and relationship to the natural world remain the focus, her stories, usually more personal, literary and character driven, in this however, was much more plot focussed, in the style of a page turner, and more simply written. I’m not sure if that was a conscious choice by the author to better fit into the ‘thriller’ genre but to me, that was a slight let-down. In the Wildlands, she also dialled up the human impact to environment, presenting a social cause and making it personal.
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The plotline follows the life of 4 siblings, orphaned after a category 5 tornado devastates and destroys their home, taking away the life of their father, having already lost their mother. Darlene the eldest, quickly rises to look after her younger siblings and foregoes her aspirations to attend University, instead taking a job and being the sole breadwinner of the family. A massive fight between the Tucker, the second eldest sibling and Darlene, spirals out of control and Tucker leaves his sisters for good. Most of the story is narrated from the youngest, 9 year old Cora’s perspective. Cora has a very special bond with her brother, and his reappearance under unusual circumstances convinces Cora to tag along with Tucker on a mission that she doesn’t really understand. The consequence of Tucker’s actions, to which Cora becomes an unintentional accomplice, and Darlene’s efforts to retrace Cora’s whereabouts and rescue her, is the central crux of the story.
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Geni shines in the description of the natural world and the plot was certainly engaging, but ultimately for me, it didn’t create the magic that The Lightkeepers did. Geni, in this explores the idea of how extreme faith in a cause, however noble, can tip over and become toxic, fanatic, with one losing one’s sense of reason. Tucker’s love for the animals, and the wild, and his hate for human race as the cause of that destruction becomes more and more radical as the novel progresses. The unnatural hold he has over Cora, her thoughts and interpretations was uncomfortable to read. Certain plot points seemed unrealistic to me, and Tucker’s cynical voice at times was a little too heavy-handed bordering on being ‘preachy’ than engaging. The final ‘event’ that Tucker is involved in seemed too far-fetched and reasoning for it didn’t entirely make sense. Another minor qualm was that, Jane, the third sibling could have been removed from the book to no consequence.
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The Wildlands is an interesting, ecological thriller that is worth a read. However, if you’ve never tried Abby Geni, I’d certainly recommend The Lightkeepers over this one.
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3.5/5
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The plotline follows the life of 4 siblings, orphaned after a category 5 tornado devastates and destroys their home, taking away the life of their father, having already lost their mother. Darlene the eldest, quickly rises to look after her younger siblings and foregoes her aspirations to attend University, instead taking a job and being the sole breadwinner of the family. A massive fight between the Tucker, the second eldest sibling and Darlene, spirals out of control and Tucker leaves his sisters for good. Most of the story is narrated from the youngest, 9 year old Cora’s perspective. Cora has a very special bond with her brother, and his reappearance under unusual circumstances convinces Cora to tag along with Tucker on a mission that she doesn’t really understand. The consequence of Tucker’s actions, to which Cora becomes an unintentional accomplice, and Darlene’s efforts to retrace Cora’s whereabouts and rescue her, is the central crux of the story.
~
Geni shines in the description of the natural world and the plot was certainly engaging, but ultimately for me, it didn’t create the magic that The Lightkeepers did. Geni, in this explores the idea of how extreme faith in a cause, however noble, can tip over and become toxic, fanatic, with one losing one’s sense of reason. Tucker’s love for the animals, and the wild, and his hate for human race as the cause of that destruction becomes more and more radical as the novel progresses. The unnatural hold he has over Cora, her thoughts and interpretations was uncomfortable to read. Certain plot points seemed unrealistic to me, and Tucker’s cynical voice at times was a little too heavy-handed bordering on being ‘preachy’ than engaging. The final ‘event’ that Tucker is involved in seemed too far-fetched and reasoning for it didn’t entirely make sense. Another minor qualm was that, Jane, the third sibling could have been removed from the book to no consequence.
~
The Wildlands is an interesting, ecological thriller that is worth a read. However, if you’ve never tried Abby Geni, I’d certainly recommend The Lightkeepers over this one.
~
3.5/5