The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff is set in a 17th-century English colony where everyone is dying from famine. Girl is a young servant who chooses the wilds beyond the palisades instead of starving with her minister’s family. The remainder of the book is about her brutal struggle to survive--against weather, terrain, humans, animals, and disease. The book asks hard questions about the individual and the future American nation. Don’t read this looking for a “happily ever after” ending.
The colony is not explicitly identified as Jamestown, but the mentions of the River James, the starving time, and the Powhatan clearly suggest Jamestown.
This book is not for people of gentle dispositions. In her quest to survive, Girl roasts baby squirrels, steals their nesting material, and what nuts were stored for the winter. She raids the nest of a pair of ducks, stealing the eggs and wringing the mother’s neck. However, she isn’t just an aggressor. She spends days and nights wet, cold, and starving, infested with insects, wounded, and suffering from Smallpox. This is accompanied by graphic descriptions of her excretions. Not for those with weak stomachs.
Once Girl escapes Jamestown, she only speaks with spirits—God, nature, and her memories. Given how much she gives up by leaving the colony and how much she suffers, the reader might wonder why she left and whether it was a good decision. Her history is doled out in flashbacks, but it is not until the end of the book that the reader learns the awful truth.
This book is a testimony to Girl’s endurance and ingenuity. While celebrating human strengths, it also condemns hubris and ambition.
"As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Check out https://amzn.to/3vfHVqc
to see my books.
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
No comments:
Post a Comment