A review by books_inthewild
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook

2.0

This was suggested to me by another book lover in a book store, and they described it as a “bleak-future dystopian story.” That got my attention, as I’ve read & loved many dystopian future, post-apocalyptic type books… think Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Margaret Atwood’s Oryx & Crake, The Chrysalids, Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Lord of the Flies…

However, this unfortunately just didn’t quite do it for me. I think it had a lot to do with the characters, as I really did not like any of them - especially the main characters Agnes and her mother Bea. I didn’t like either of them, and their relationship as mother/daughter was frustrating & annoying.

The main premise of this book is that a group of 20 strangers are participating in a study to see if they can survive in the “wilderness”- while meanwhile, the “City”is becoming more and more unliveable (due to pollution), Rangers enforce rules, and they basically wander, hunt, argue, and try to stay alive.

This novel piqued my interest enough to finish it- but I just really found the plot hard to follow or feel invested in, the characters unlikeable, and no real action or point. And for quite a long novel, it just really missed the mark for me.