The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Because I hate my hair.” Like most teenage girls, she meant herself, but hair is easier to change.
I read and loved Ruth Emmie Lang’s previous novel so I was really excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. This is the story of two sisters, Zadie and Finn, who go in search of their mother, Nora, who went missing five years ago. Finn is about to go to college, and has decided that she needs to go searching for her mother before she can make a final decision around her adoption and convinces Zadie to take this unplanned trip across the country.
Finn and Zadie both have abilities that make them a bit unusual. Finn can see/feel bits of people’s discarded memories and Zadie can sense things that haven’t happened yet. The magical realism in this book was wonderful and created some lovely characters and texture and depth that I really enjoyed.
I loved the sibling relationship, especially Zadie who was so layered and real and struggling. This beautiful book is about what it means to belong, about family, sisterhood, determination, and friendship.
Lang’s writing is lyrical and beautiful. This book was a joy to read.
with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
