The Vaster Wilds

The Vaster Wilds ~ Lauren Groff

Lauren Groff reread two classics to her kids, Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George. Reading them as an adult gave her a new perspective, and instead of seeing them as adventure stories, she saw them as chilling stories of loneliness and danger. (Side note – Has anyone read the Hatchet YA books, by Gary Paulsen? I really liked those when I read them years ago. This book is 10x better.)

The Vaster Wilds is a survival story placed during the Starving Time of the Jamestown colony in 1609. The unnamed protagonist is a teenaged servant girl who leaves the colony alone, tired of watching people die around her, and determined to survive on her own. Her goal is to make it from Virginia to the French colonies of Canada. She is hoping to marry a fur trapper and go to France. She dreams of life away from the harsh life of the New World.

I’m not sure I can really describe this book, other than to say that I loved it. It is a meditation on human resilience, a fever dream of a book. Frightening at times, joyous at others. I really liked the girl and found myself rooting for her to succeed in her journey. Highly recommended.

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