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THE VASTER WILDS BY LAUREN GROFF
Another extraordinary novel from this writer who can do no wrong. Once again, The Vaster Wilds is a complete shift in subject and content from Groff’s previous works: here we find ourselves in early colonial America, swooping down to follow in the frantic footsteps of a young servant on the run, escaping a tiny settlement into the bleak, unrelentingly harsh wilderness. As we run alongside her, pieces of the story begin to fall into place. She is starving, has stolen her boots from a boy who died from smallpox, and has a few snatched possessions under her cloak. This escape was not planned, or at least not planned well. She runs towards the living, and battles doubts about her ability to make it. What does it mean to survive? What does it take to adapt? You will find yourself holding your breath as she takes risks, sometimes calculated ones, sometimes immediate decisions in the flash of a moment. Her need for food forces her to hunt, clumsily at first, then more confidently as she adjusts to her new reality. “If I stop, I will die,” is the mantra she repeats as she moves through the wilderness, determined to live. Groff’s writing does not let up: we are hit with wave after wave of unrelenting descriptions of her pain, of the girl’s wrenched and raw flesh, her distended starving belly, her blessed relief at finding food – all set against her mental interior and the searing sense of injustice, of loss, that powers her on. This is perfect fodder for anyone transfixed by the survival series Alone , or those of us who simply immediately read anything Groff puts her name to. A truly unforgettable tale that will haunt you long into the winter months and make you pause, grateful, before stepping out into the cold.
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK OCTOBER 2023 21
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