Read this complex, modern family story
about running away and fighting for what's right, even when it's hard
What to Read This Week
The Wildlands by Abby Geni
What It’s About
I know what you’re thinking, and don’t let the Tiger King–esque cover fool you. This is an emotional and nuanced portrait of an American family in tragedy trying to pick up the pieces of their lives.Â
A Category 5 tornado swept through Oklahoma, destroying everything and everyone in its path, including the McCloud family. Darlene, Jane, Cora, and Tucker were instantly orphaned and made national headlines as a tragic and viral story people quickly forgot. But for the children, this was their new life. Tucker immediately takes off and leaves the girls on their own, and Darlene knows it’s her job to raise her siblings.Â
Years later, Tucker walks back into their lives on the heels of another local accident that seems too convenient to just have taken place. And when Tucker disappears again, but this time with his nine-year-old sister Cora, Darlene can’t ignore it anymore and calls the police in for help tracking them down. It evolves into a police chase, a mystery, a family drama, and so much more.
Who Will Like It
Those who enjoy a meticulously detailed family drama will devour this book (a particularly good read for Thanksgiving weekend). If you enjoyed The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney or Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (a personal favorite), pick this one up.
Next Up
This weekend I finished Bombshell by Sarah MacLean, my first novel by this prolific historical romance writer (I loved it!). I decided to stick with the historical theme but wanted to shift to mystery, so I chose The Operator by Gretchen Berg, a book about a telephone operator in the 1950s who overhears something she definitely shouldn’t have.
Housekeeping note: We’ll be off next week for Thanksgiving, so have a great holiday and let me know what you’ll be reading over the long weekend!
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