Emma's Reviews > The Vaster Wilds

Probably my favourite book I've read this year...

It's dark and it's grim and it's bleak, and it won't be for everyone, but god I loved it.

I have to admit.. I love stories of surviving in the wilderness, and I love exploring the history of the New World era - the colonisation of America at Jamestown. So really, this is a perfect book for me.

The story follows a young servant girl who flees a colonial settlement, straight out into the wilderness. She would rather face all the dangers of the unknown beasts and hardships that await her, than have to face the likes of men with the potential for violence.

This is a book where frankly not much happens. It's a girl just trying to stay alive, not only in her own body but in her mind too. Being confronted with the wilderness in all its vast never-ending glory and its unforgiving nature, leads her to really think about the meaning of life, of nature, of faith.

I previously sort of enjoyed Matrix by Groff (I thought the writing was exceptional but the story lost its way quite quickly) but this was a whole other level above for me.

To be honest, I haven't really stopped thinking about it since.