Bonnie G.'s Reviews > The Vaster Wilds

I have mentioned before that one of my main considerations when rating a book is whether the author achieved what she wished to achieve in writing the book. Here I think the answer is a resounding yes. This is a compelling writing exercise, and the prose is remarkable. I never love Groff's books, but I have come away from reading her work awed by her craft every single time. There is true artistry here in Groff's descriptions of sensations and wonderings and experiences. Everything is visceral and deeply personal (I have generally found Groff's work cold and that is not an issue here), and right there on the page. There were two problems for me, neither of which has a thing to do with Groff's skill. The first problem is that what she is bringing to life is mostly revolting, really disgusting, and a lot of the time it is not revolting it is kind of dull. (People who enjoy graphic horror might like this, though it is not in any traditional way horror.) The second problem for me is that Groff has a very clear point of view, an integrated theory really, about God and religion and nature and humans as part of the natural world, and as destroyers of the natural world, and it is well presented, it just does not ring true for me personally. (Other than the belief that the world is unsafe for woman. We agree on that. There is a passage that depicts grooming a young girl that is sickening, but is the best writing I have ever read on the subject. Those 4 sentences pack a book into them and I have been fixated on that story for over 24 hours now and I expect it will stay with me for a long time, if not forever.) I don't buy into her theory so I didn't enjoy the book, but I admired every page.

Essentially this is dystopian history. It reads in many ways like many dystopian novels, with our hero tromping through an apocalyptic hellscape outrunning those who wish her dead. Like many of those books, this is threaded through with a strong save the earth message. Those books though are set in the future or in alternate universes, and this book is set in 17th century Virginia. Our lead, we know her only as Zed (which is not her real name), is escaping a British settlement. (It's not mentioned by name, but it seems like it is Jamestown.) Zed is escaping to avoid repercussions from actions I won't spoil. In the early 17th century Jamestown experienced a famine that wiped out most everyone. (Thanks Lauren Groff for making those Williamsburg/Jamestown trips pay off!) Zed was a servant girl charged with raising a young child who is now dead -- she has no money, food or family. In her escape she shares memories (she is utterly alone with lots of time to ponder) and experiences many terrible things. The things that seem to take the most space on the page, other than a couple of long musings on God and nature, are vivid descriptions of Zed's pissing and shitting, her filth. Bothered by detailed descriptions of a woman picking the lice and fleas out of her pubic hair and armpits? Do you want to avoid frank and clinically detailed depictions of steaming torrential piss and ferocious diarrhea (color, texture, velocity of travel, etc.) If so you might want to take a pass. For my friends who appreciate art, reading this is like looking at a Francis Bacon painting. Fascinating, brilliantly rendered, repellant.

I am ending up with a 3 here. Personal enjoyment is a 2 and craft is a 5.