Bad Land

by Corinna Chong

The slow-burning, deeply felt story of a social outcast reckoning with the wounds of her past

Regina is a socially awkward loner who is content to live a life withdrawn from everyone except her cherished pet bunny. But after seven years of silence, Regina's brother, Ricky, shows up unannounced on her doorstep, along with his daughter, Jez—a peculiar six-year-old with an unnerving vicious streak—upending Regina's quiet life.

It's clear to Regina that something terrible has happened, though the truth won't come to the surface easily. After all, Regina and Ricky lived a childhood fraught with secrets buried as deep as the fossils in the desolate landscape around them. But this secret is one that cannot stay buried for long, and its exposure sets off a calamitous journey through plains and mountains that forces Regina to confront the brutality of family love and to question how far she is willing to go to preserve it.

Rife with gothic tension and carried by fervent compassion, Bad Land is a story about the toxic nature of guilt, the fragility of memory, and the ways we shape our own versions of the truth in order to survive.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Canada, Literary Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2024

About the author

I am a writer and avid reader based in Kelowna, BC. My first novel, Belinda's Rings, was published in 2013. The Whole Animal, my debut collection of short stories, was published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2023. ​Visit my website here.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed Chong's last short story collection, I have to admit I struggled to get into this newest book. Sadly it was not for me. :( Looking forward to seeing what she writes next though! The audiobook narration for this was well done if you enjoy listening to books (and it's available for free on Hoopla).

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It's a story told by the point of view of a woman named Regina. Regina is a large woman who has spent most of her life in Drumheller and works in a dinosaur museum. One day, her brother comes home, bringing his seven year old daughter. The daughter has a bit of a mean streak but she and Regina also bond.

The book eventually turns into a bit of a road trip, as the characters travel from Drumheller to Prince George.
I don't want to say more about the plot.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with Bad Lands. The characters felt distant and unrelatable, and their choices often seemed baffling or implausible. I found it hard to care about what they were doing, or why, and the story leaned into a kind of dysfunctional realism that didn’t appeal to me. I’m starting to feel a little burned out on literary fiction that centers on messy family dynamics and odd behavior just for the sake of being offbeat or creating emotion. This just wasn’t for me.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work of literary fiction takes us from areas of fossilized dinosaur bones north to glaciers in search of family and truth. Regina and her younger brother were raised by a strict German single mother. Once the boy turned 18, their mother left them to fend for themselves. Some years later, the brother returns home with a precocious yet odd 6-year-old daughter and a secret. Regina’s memories are interspersed with meeting her niece and dealing with how her solitary life has been upended by her brother. She thinks she understands him, yet doesn’t understand herself.

This is a beautifully written story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. It’s about being different and unwanted, about taking responsibility for one’s actions, for wanting more yet making do with less.

The audiobook was recently recorded thanks to a Canadian government grant. My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook for review purposes. It will be available Sept. 24, 2024.

[Bloss ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format Review 🎧
Tara Koehler is a hugely talented human. The sheer range of the voices she created was impressive and she her delivery of the story was just *chef’s kiss*. Being Canadian, I loved listening to a Canadian read me this Canadian story! 🥰 Audio: 5/5

Story Review 📖
Infuriating, heartbreaking, hopeful, this story pulled me in and didn’t let me go.
My perceptions of many of the characters changed and evolved as the story continued and as we learned more about them. This isn’t an easy read and these are not easy characters. Chong is masterful at creating complexity in characters, relationships, and situations that pulls on the reader’s emotions and feel deeply, unsettling human. The sense of place was phenomenal across this book - I was there in Drumheller, on the VIA rail train, and on those long, lonesome Albertan highways.
The story has thought-provoking commentary on growing up with emotionally (and sometimes literally) unavailable parents, inter-generational trauma, life in small town Canada, the invisibility and otherness of being a large human, and the many faces and complexities of human love.

Part of why I requested this was because I was drawn to the premise of a reclusive woman living alone with her bunny in small town Canada. The love Regina felt for Waldo was palpable and beautiful. I loved the way their relationship was written and the poetic way that Chong explored the difference between ‘rabbits’ and ‘bunnies’ was delightful.
🐰 Is the bunny okay? It’s not a happy ending for Regina and Waldo’s time together. However, it’s open-ended enough not to be deeply traumatizing. Regina does catastrophize about it in the days that follow which makes for heavy going.

The narrator combined with the addictive slow burn made it a propulsive read that I rocketed through. The audio book format enriched this experience for me as a reader, forcing me to slow down and immerse myself in the world that Chong had created. Story: 4/5

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you so much, ECW Press Audio! ✨

[Stephanie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Regina’s brother and his strange daughter show up on her doorstep, she is forced into a story that doesn’t fit with the narrative she has written herself in the years since she last saw her family.

This was a strange book. It was a slow burn that flared with a building intensity for most of the book. The reader is left constantly wondering what characters will do next and if it will be sinister or innocent. I really enjoyed the writing style and Regina’s naive way of viewing the world. I found myself constantly wondering what would happen next and unable to guess correctly, which is unusual for me. I am left feeling unsettled but having truly appreciated this book. It was quite a read.

Thank you ECW Press and NetGalley for an audiobook copy of this book.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a messed up family! I was initially excited to read Bad Land by Corinna Chong because I enjoyed her other book of short stories called The Whole Animal. Overall I did enjoy this novel due to the quality of writing and compelling characters. The main character Regina reunites with her brother after several years and takes care of her 6 year old niece. Regina recounts her own difficult childhood with her mother and throughout this book we discover some tragic events that occurred to each member of this family. Several parts are shocking to read and the ending just left me thinking wtf! I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ALC!

[Russell Reitsema]

Truly thrilled to find a strong Canadian author like Chong to sink into. Badland is a stark character piece nestled uncomfortably across an original Canadian landscape with a staying power that's hard to place.

[Salty Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regina is 30-something lone soul, who lives in the heart of Badlands (Alberta). One day, her younger brother Ricky pays her a surprise visit along with her six year old niece Jez. There's something off with the picture as Ricky's wife is oddly missing from the picture. The whole truth slowly seeps out and as soon as it does, Regina takes a drastic step, one that will change her life and the life of Jez forever. There's a lot to digest in this haunting novel and many subjects that the reader has to deal with - cold, controlling mother, obesity, gun violence, sibling relationship and a tender love that develops between an aunt and her young niece. Despite its starkness and somber plot, Bad Land is a gorgeous book that deserves your attention.

[Domenico Capilongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid and moving.

[Laurie Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Woah. I loved this one. It took me longer than normal to get into it, but then I was in baby! It’s a dark little story if you like dark (I know I do). It’s a triumph of family history how we can forget what we need to, to keep ourselves safe. Dark and full of slight cracks of love, does obligation mean anything?

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel appeared on the longlist for the 2024 Giller Prize for Fiction.

The setting is 2016 in Drumheller, Alberta. Thirty-something Regina Bergmann lives a solitary, mundane existence in her run-down childhood home. Her life is upended with the arrival of her brother Ricky with whom she has had no contact for seven years. He is accompanied by his daughter, six-year-old Jez. He is reluctant to reveal why they left Arizona and Jez’s mother Carla. When Regina learns what happened, she decides that her niece needs protection so she takes Jez away on a trip that becomes a journey of discovery.

There are numerous flashbacks. Ricky’s unexpected arrival inspires Regina to think back to their childhood with Mutti, the mother who left them 15 years earlier. It’s obvious that Regina’s relationship with Mutti, a stern and unpredictable woman, was often strained.

What stands out in the novel is the relationship between Regina and Jez. Regina sees herself in her niece, the odd child. Because she is obese, Regina is a misfit shunned by society: “so large and out of place and always on display, a curiosity, even when she just wanted to be . . . herself.” Jez, because her behaviour is often aggressive and manipulative, is also perceived as different. Just as Regina prefers her own company, Jez lives in her own imagined world. Both lash out in anger. Regina has a conversation about Jez, but she’s also talking about herself: “’She feels more deeply than anyone. It’s more than they could ever comprehend, it’s so much it can’t even fit inside her. . . . [They think] she doesn’t have a brain, a heart, like anyone else. . . . She deserves to be loved. Real love.’”

I also enjoyed Regina’s journey of discovery. She learns things about her brother and mother, but she also learns about herself. Most significantly, she realizes how blind she has been, with “’an amazing ability to delude’” herself. Just as Jez lives in her imagination, Regina shapes the past in a way that makes the past tolerable. Throughout the novel, I kept hoping that Regina would have a meaningful conversation with her brother but that happens only towards the end.

The novel touches on some heavy subject matter: parental abandonment, mental illness, social disconnection, and violence. The book also examines generational trauma. Ricky talks about his “messed up” life but Regina has difficulty understanding that her isolation and obesity are probably reactions to trauma. Even her refusal to leave her childhood home is significant. At the end, Regina realizes the past cannot be erased. She also comes to understand the corrosive nature of guilt which is described as an “incurable infection” leaving its victims with “tortured souls.”

A thesis could be written about the symbolism in the novel: the title, the setting with its layers of dinosaur fossils, Wuppertal’s suspension railway, Regina’s job, and Mutti’s jobs in which she is surrounded by the past. And the photograph on the book’s cover is perfect!

I understand why this book was nominated for the Giller Prize. With so many layers to unravel, this is a book worth re-reading.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family secrets lie stewing at the heart of Corinna Chong’s taut Giller-longlisted novel, Bad Land. Ever since her younger brother, Ricky, married Carla and moved to Arizona seven years ago, Regina Bergmann has lived by herself in the ramshackle family home in desolate Drumheller, in the badlands region of east-central Alberta. Their mother, Mutti, has also absconded, having years earlier left her children to their own devices, moving off to who knows where. Socially awkward Regina, a “large” woman self-conscious of her size who works in the town’s fossil and dinosaur museum, has settled into a life of solitary routine and no longer battles against her reclusive nature or her oddball reputation. But everything changes when Ricky arrives in town, unannounced with no explanation, along with 5-year-old daughter Jez, and moves back into the house. In the novel’s early scenes, Chong depicts the evolution of Regina’s grudging acceptance of a close family member forcing his way back into her life and her slow bonding with niece Jez, in whom she recognizes a kindred spirit: a reticent child, slow to trust, who lacks empathy, and with a tendency when stressed to indulge in impulsive, inappropriate, even violent behaviour. But Regina is also uneasy. Ricky’s evasions when questioned convince her that whatever is behind her brother’s sudden re-appearance in his hometown, it can’t be anything good. In the novel’s latter chapters, after the dreadful truth emerges, Regina leaves town on a spontaneous road trip to the west coast, where she is all but certain her mother, Mutti, is living. But she makes a huge strategic error when she takes Jez with her, under the guise of protecting the girl, but without first asking Ricky’s permission or even informing him of her intentions. Soon Regina and Jez are being pursued by police, and it’s not long before everything has gone off the rails. The novel’s main conflict comes to a head in a messy confrontation between Regina and her mother, witnessed by Jez, who seems right at home in the midst of her aunt’s breathtakingly destructive display. Regina carries the story: a wary, defensive and emotionally scarred woman unable to connect with people on almost any level, but whose myriad weaknesses, in Corinna Chong’s engaging rendition, are oddly endearing. Chong’s prose does not overtly strive for lyricism, but she does make splendid use of the badlands setting, the bleak and harrowing landscape mirroring the wounds, physical and mental, borne by her characters. In Bad Land, her second novel, Corinna Chong has written a resonant, sometimes shocking, tale of family dysfunction and the bonds that—despite absence, distance, and years of bitterness and resentment—continue to link us together.

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled that this was set in an identifiable, loud and proud, Canadian context. Not only that, but the geography actually matters here. Yes, on the one hand it is a bit contrived that the mom, Mutti, was an archeologist, and that the daughter, Regina, ‘maintains’ that interest (sort of). But it works and I was prepared to not just write it off as contrivance… because of the setting.

This is a trip to the dark side of humanity - in more ways than one. Definitely a little bit twisted - with periodic moments of levity to break the tension just a little bit. The characters are well developed but anytime you think you’re beginning to understand them at all, you’re thrown for a loop and have to do a little mental recalibration. The reader is always on edge - not quite knowing what is and isn’t true, or is or isn’t happening or about to happen.

When Regina and Jez hit the road - no spoiler here as it’s in the blurb - I wrote that it’s getting a ‘Thelma and Louise’ vibe to it. There’s a scene - involving a fire - where there is a moment of revelation that had me as a reader stopping in my tracks to reconsider everything I’d read to that point, but that also was the first glimpse of the ‘redemptive’ side of things.

Chong has done a really good job of exploring - and critiquing - how thin the line is between civility and chaos. Sadly, so timely that this is being released at this particular moment in time.

I have a few minor complaints but they might involve spoilers so I’ll leave off there.

Recommended read

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.

4.5 rounded up to 5

[Russell Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5 words:

1) Solitary
2) Heartbreaking
3) Hopeful
4) Shocking
5) Family

~~~~~

My 5 thoughts:

– Bad Land is a story that masterfully intertwines the quiet, mundane moments of life with sudden, intense events, creating a narrative that reveals both the beauty and flaws of its characters in striking contrast.

– Regina and Jez are portrayed with such immense depth and complexity. Despite their unsettling dark sides, I found myself deeply empathising with them. Their unique relationship, built on a shared understanding, is poignant and unforgettable.

– The unearthing of family secrets adds rich layers to the story, drawing me in with a compelling and thought-provoking depth, making these moments feel as though they could have been lifted from real life.

– The plot is full of unexpected surprises, yet it remains deeply grounded in raw, authentic emotion, making it unpredictable and profoundly moving.

– Corinna Chong’s exploration of familial bonds, guilt, and tension is handled with great nuance and insight, offering a deeply human portrait of relationships at their most complicated.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

I had a hard time with this one and am finding it diffcult to review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

It was about everything and about nothing. This story follows Regina who has had a rough life. She is insecure, loads of trauma, reclusive, and just prefers to live life in the shadows as to not draw too much attention. Then drop in her niece, who I am confident has some level of ASD even if it wasn't clearly stated (coming from the mother of an AuDHD 7yo) and it just makes life even more bizarre.

They travel to right unresolved wrongs. They exist in this weird space, the Bad Lands. And the books is about trying to find closure for some of these issues. Whether they do this successfully or not is up to reader interpretation.

Now, what I can say, is this audio was spectacular. A perfect fall read. It was melancholy, eerie, atmospheric... all the things I am looking for this time of year. So despite the content of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it on audio.

[Jocelyn Lockyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book set mostly in Drumheller area but also Prince Rupert. There is lots of darkness in the book. Not much love or caring within the broad family. I thought I would stop reading several times but pushed on as I found I could skim parts and get through the book. In particular, when the child’s history was revealed—I felt there was no way I could continue. Throughout the book, there were so many secrets—many revealed as the book went on—but not all secrets sorted themselves out. I guess that is real life. You don’t really know what happens in the ‘gaps’ that occur between knowing someone who is nearby and not knowing what happens to them when they are elsewhere.
One of my criteria for a book is whether I would recommend it to my book club or friends. This isn’t one I would recommend. As I get older, I realize that people have had a lot of trauma in their lives—this isn’t a book I could easily recommend on top of whatever people have experienced or are experiencing.

[Kassi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was awful. It was recommended by a book-tuber who I've up until now always got along with. He said it had the same sort of tension as Rebecca by Daphne Du Marrier. He couldn't have been more wrong. This had the tension of a slinky!

First, this is not anywhere close to literary fiction. It's 100% plot-driven rot with nothing meaningful to say. Anything that is meaninfully written about is purely accidental. The author writes with pseudo-intellectual "depth" and comes off sounding like a self-important high school student with a bit of too much angst.

No character is developped any more than what it needs to be to carry out the bizarre plot. And this book didn't even do plot well; it was a tangled mess of yarn that didn't belong to the same ball.

If I could give it zero stars I would.

[Glenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, I found the character of Jez somewhat reminiscent of Harriet in Donna Tartt's novel The Little Friend, and there is the same kind of dark undertone to the novel that I found compelling and fascinating. I churned through the book at record pace because I couldn't put it down, wanting to see what happened and where it would lead.

The novel begins with Regina's brother showing up unexpectedly with his daughter Jez. A family that is used to not talking about things, it takes a long time for the story to come to light which made for late nights of reading to find out where it's going.

Masterfully written, highly recommend it.

[Krazyaboutbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows Regina, her brother Ricky and his daughter Jez. Set in two time lines, in the past as Reg recalls her relationship with her family. Which was strained and full of secrets. In the current timeline, Ricky reappears in Reginas life after a long absence, he brings his young daughter Jez along. He is keeping a disturbing secret and deals with it by ignoring it as he does all his problems, his wife Clara is MIA, with a weird explanation. As Reg and Jen begin to form a bond, long buried secrets come to light. This book was really gripping and had lots of discussions on relationships amongst family, how memory is skewed in cases of those we love and forgiveness. This book was well narrated by Tara Koehler. I would highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook from NetGalley and ECW Press Audio in exchange for a free and honest review

[Debbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Corrina Chong’s Bad Land attempts to navigate the complexities of a character’s internal struggle, the narrative ultimately feels incomplete. There are glimpses of deep emotional turmoil, but the author often introduces a character's experience only to leave the thought unfinished. Because pertinent information regarding the roots of this struggle was left out, the internal conflict never quite comes to fruition. I kept hoping the ending would weave these fragmented threads together, but sadly, I was left wondering. Without a clearer understanding of the 'why' behind the characters' feelings, the story's core message failed to land.

[Kyla Ashman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabbed me right from the beginning. The characters are complex and fallible, and I enjoyed the slow reveal of the characters histories, as well as the landscape and their connection to it. How we are connected to our land and whether we are stuck, escape or drawn back was a theme that kept me thinking long after I finished reading.
As a mother and educator, the themes of mental health and trauma are well thought out and thought provoking.
This is a novel worth reading more than once!

[Shelley Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to read an earlier draft of this novel before it found its publisher and, back then, was wowed by the writing, the setting, and the deeply flawed but compelling characters. But the final published book? This is of another level entirely. Unputdownable in its pacing, beautiful in its rhythm, dark and hard when it needs to be, and yet velveting soft and heartbreaking when you least expect it. Unforgettable.

[Vanessa Schmoelz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was weird, twisted, quietly disturbing and still somehow heartwarming. It perfectly captured the feeling of sitting with your own demons and the characters were not afraid to exist within their flaws. Chong uses beautiful and barren imagery to paint a strange but intriguing backdrop for her characters to exist within and sometimes against. Fantastic Canadian work, I’m so happy to have stumbled upon this book.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long listed for the 2024 Giller Prize in Canada, I enjoyed this book by author Corinna Chong. It's a story that has very dysfunctional characters, well developed characters though. Fraught by trauma, by few characters in the book, a bond forms between the main character and her niece. A road trip ensues. This is a tale of toxic relationships, family secrets, guilt, and trying to adapt to an adult life despite their past.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regina lives a seemingly contented life in a remote archeological town until her estranged brother and niece, Jez, arrive on her doorstep. As Regina gets to know Jez, the more off-putting her guests become. Regina begins to question her life of isolation and like the fossils she's surrounded by, uncovers an alternate view of her past as the present unfolds before her. These two outcasts will eventually embark on a journey alone that will forever change their lives.

[megs wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have no idea how i feel about this book which is what i think makes it so strong? all of the characters are deeply flawed—i don’t think i liked any of them and i found their actions so frustrating at times. i don’t know if i was rooting for them, but i did care about their resolutions. everything in this story felt very human in a way that is rarely encapsulated so viscerally + i couldn’t put it down. i think i need a book club to discuss this with ?!

[Erin Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful, layered, thought-provoking book full of visceral descriptions, metaphor and subtle but stark parallels. I'm in awe of how human the character of Regina was and am reminded of the power of fiction in allowing us to see the world and ourselves and our families and relationships in new and nuanced ways. I adore this book.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, so good.
And yes, so good for Canada and new books. Canadians really know how to write meaningful books with very deep concepts. This one with a 6 year old "odd girl" named Jez has the parent in you thinking about the health and safety of your kids. The motherly instincts of her aunt will keep you engaged. The story is so good.
Yes, read this!

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one to recommend, as the story went along, I found myself drawn in more, and caring.
About Regina and Jez. Even about the bunny.
A slow burn book , but one you'll be glad you picked up.
Excellent writing, and excellent narration.