Into the Wilderness: A Novel

by Deborah Lee Luskin

Could there be two people more different? It’s 1964, and Rose Mayer is recently widowed, a Democrat, and Jewish. When she meets Percy Mendell, a born and bred Vermonter who has never married and never voted for a Democrat, they clash before a surprising romance springs up. At age 64, they both must employ their humor, wit and compassion to even consider the other. Set against the backdrop of Vermont’s changing season and shifting political landscape, Into the Wilderness is both a love story and a testament to the surprising flexibility of the human heart.

Awarded the IPPY Gold Medal for Regional Fiction

About the Author

DEBORAH LEE LUSKIN moved from New York City to Vermont in 1984 to write, garden, keep bees, and raise daughters. She has been an editorial columnist, radio commentator, pen-for-hire, and blogger. Luskin also enjoyed a long career as an educator. Engaged in civic life, Luskin practiced restorative justice as a volunteer at the Brattleboro Community Justice Center and served as the elected Town Moderator in Newfane, Vermont. She holds a PhD English Literature, the obvious training for becoming a homesteader, deer-hunter, and writer. Reviving The Making of a Huntress, her memoir, tells the story of coming-of-age at sixty and finding her place in the natural world.

Praise for Into the Wilderness

“The book is a complex love letter to Vermont.”
—The Commons, Windham County’s Independent Weekly

“Into the Wilderness is a fiercely intelligent love story.”
—The Rutland Herald

“Deborah Lee Luskin weaves together an enchanting tale of solitude, friendship and romance in her novel, Into the Wilderness.”
—The Jewish Advocate

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2026

About the author

Deborah Lee Luskin moved from New York City to Vermont in 1984 to write, garden, keep bees, and raise daughters. She has been an editorial columnist, radio commentator, pen-for-hire, and blogger. Luskin has also enjoyed a long career as an educator, teaching writing and literature-based humanities to gifted elementary writers, college students, new adult readers, lifelong learners, healthcare workers, and prison inmates. Since 2016, Luskin has been facilitating the on-going Rosefire Writing Circle, a place to write in community with support. Engaged in civic life, Luskin practiced restorative justice as a volunteer at the Brattleboro Community Justice Center and served as the elected Town Moderator in Newfane, Vermont. She holds a PhD English Literature, the obvious training for becoming a farmer, deer-hunter, and writer. Reviving Artemis: The Making of a Huntress, her memoir, tells the story of coming-of-age at sixty and finding her place in the natural world. Learn more at www.deborahleeluskin.com

Reviews

[Kate Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review. The story line was great, loved the non-traditional main characters. I felt like Rose, Percy, Manny, and the women were very likable. I enjoyed the different perspectives from each person. However, I felt like this book was just a little too slow and drawn out. The plot needed more to it. It was predictable, and I really didn’t care for how much time and energy was placed on politics.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful, Uplifting Story! -- Author Deborah Lee Luskin takes a spin on a later-in-life romance between a confirmed bachelor and a twice-widowed woman in a small town in Vermont. Percy and Rose are not made for each other. Neither is looking to get involved. Their politics don’t line up (she’s Jewish and a Democrat, he not either), and they irritate each other. Witnessing how it all comes round is a great pleasure, as the reader is in the sure hands of a writer in command of her prose, lyrical when describing music or the out-of-doors and brisk when it comes to dialogue. I loved these two main characters with their self-doubts, long pasts, and strong needs to become more of themselves, even as a union is forming. I assure you, when you close the book, you will miss them.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading a story about an older woman finding love again late in life. However the slow pace of the story wasn’t good, I found myself skipping ahead.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet. A little slow but I enjoyed it.