08 Nov / The New Wilderness by Diane Cook [in Booklist]
Veteran voice actor Stacey Glembowski – already seasoned with substantial science fiction experience – immediately commands Diane Cook’s (Man v. Nature) timely novel debut in which 20 desperate men, women, children abandon their depleting City lives to become the inaugural Community in the Wilderness State. Among the group are Glen, his wife Bea, and her respiratorily-compromised young daughter, Agnes, whose only chance of a future is to escape City’s increasingly toxic conditions.
Tracked by an unnamed government, overseen by the Rangers, the Community is wholly responsible for its own survival – hunting, gathering, migrating, feeding, protecting, dying, and birthing. Power dynamics are unavoidable, secrets irresistible, and rebellion guaranteed, especially when Community members are not the only Wilderness dwellers. Agnes comes of age, morphing from fragility to strength, and becomes both witness and oracle to an inevitable conclusion.
Glemboski’s aural agility galvanizes Cook’s vast cast, as she seamlessly assumes distinctive personalities: gentle Glen, truculent Bea, manipulative Carl, jealous Val, (initially) patient Ranger Gabe, and so many others. If an aural escape from our modern surreality is what you’re seeking, a transporting dystopia awaits you in this Booker Prize-shortlist selection.
Review: “Media,” Booklist, October 15, 2020
Readers: Adult
Published: 2020