Wander

by Lori Tobias

Set in the 1980s in the rural community of Bidarkee Bay, Alaska (a fictional area the size of a small state with a population of barely 20,000), Wander is the story of Patrice “Pete” Nash, a young broadcast reporter who finds herself facing the winter alone after her husband, Nate, accepts a job on “the slope.” As Pete pursues the next big breaking news story, she strikes up a friendship with the new guy in town, the Ivy League-educated Ren, who recites poetry and lives in the family-owned, vacant inn. Their friendship offers a glimpse of a different kind of life—one that seems to Pete to offer everything marriage to the country-raised Nate does not. But unbeknown to Pete, Ren has come to Alaska for his own dark reason—to end his life. By the time, Nate returns home, their lives have been irrevocably changed. One man is dead, two others missing and a third forever lost to them.
 

Genres: Fiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Lori is a journalist of many years, author of the memoir Storm Beat - A Journalist Reports From The Oregon Coast, published in Sept. 2020 from Oregon State University, and the novel "Wander," winner of the Nancy Pearl Literary Award 2017.
She lives on the Oregon Coast with her husband Chan and rescues Gus & Lily.

Reviews

[Lori Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wander is the Nancy Pearl Book Contest winner in the literary mainstream category and a finalist in the International Book Awards in the new fiction category. Thrilled.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an engaging, smoothly written first novel, possible to read, as I did, in one sitting. The obvious comparison is Point of Departure by Rachael Weaver. Weaver's novel had more interesting characters, but couldn't pull it together. Tobias's book is more taut. But the both disappoint in similar ways. Tobias came close being a perfect novel. However it lacked ambition in the first place. So there was only so far it could go. It was a thin novel in more ways than one. Entertaining,with a bit of a deep question--even another possible area of depth--infidelity and its maze for potential for literary exploration--was left pretty much alone.

And must Nate be so gorgeous? And so understanding, really, at the end? See my comment at the end of Point of Direction, about the bow wrapping the story. There was so much more to be plumbed here. No doubt there was some kind of word limit for the Red Hen novel contest that did no one any good. This book IMO could have sold to a bigger press with more pages and more of what it needed. That said, Red Hen edited it perfectly and I hope it continues to do what it does--with the right projects.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the remote alaska setting but the story was underdeveloped.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete (Patrice) Nash is a young newscaster working for a tiny radio station in a small Alaska town with a lot of land and very few people in the 1980s. I thought Pete was a great character. She's the kind of woman who starts out as receptionist but moves up to being a newscaster because she is hardworking and likable.

The Alaskan winter is like a character in the book. Imagine driving a car or truck across a lake to get home to your cabin after a Chinook, not knowing if the ice will really hold. The days are very short and there's not a lot to do except drink and hang out with others from the radio station.

The 1980s setting works well in creating the isolation for Pete in her cabin outside of town. A newlywed originally from New Jersey, she's never spent a winter in Alaska before, and she is concerned when her husband leaves town to get work on the slope. There's no Internet, no cell phones, and they can't afford a land line (just called a phone back then). Over the months she spends alone, Pete learns to cope with the solitude, eventually feeling disconnected from her husband, which has consequences.

The title Wander seems to refer to both to how people drift into the small town, and also for their behavior in relationships; there are several affairs. I enjoyed Pete's conversations with Ren, an upper middle class man who works for the radio station, because she both resents and envies his background.

The foreshadowing of plot developments was a bit obvious, but this is still a very good read.

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I put this book down a third of the way through. Some clear internalized sexism led to a dichotomy of lead who simultaneously lived alone most of her life and now can barely survive a week alone without her husband; is so in love with her husband yet starts pining after the first new guy she sees days after he leaves; and tells stories of how she almost had to become a stripper (even serving at a club for a time) yet degradingly narrates any performer she comes in contact with. Additionally the writing itself was weak and muddy.

[sharon hasting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, enjoyed it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointe, Don’t know what I expected by did not hold my interest, seemed trite.

[Cathyg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok Nothing special or engaging. I met the author, bought the book, but just ok.

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! From the moment I cracked the spine, I couldn't put it down. There are several little teasers along the way to keep you engaged and at the end of it all, you feel like you've really spent time visiting this small town where everybody knows everybody's business, and there's a story around every corner. Who knew there could be so much excitement in this remote Alaskan town?

[Christine Whittington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial killer; a long, cold, dark winter; a tempting Ivy League visitor; 60s sockhops and Elvis fundraisers; excitement over deep-fried chicken hearts and livers; Danskin-stealing strippers; moose peering in the deck window: people know how to have fun in Wrassle, Alaska. Local radio station news director Pete (Patrice) Nash chases, writes, and reports the news, chops wood, and keeps the cabin fires burning while falling in love with Ren, an appealing Easterner "from money" and better taste in adult beverages than most of Wrassle, while her husband makes money on "the slope." The lovers drink white Zin (did this exist in the 1980s?) and Grand Marnier (ignited with a lighter) while reciting poetry ("The Wasteland"--how romantic) to one another. If you loved "Northern Exposure," give "Wander" a try.

Pete Nash is a conflicted, warm and appealing character who makes you want to shout "Watch out!" and other pieces of advice while turning the pages--which happens rapidly.

Lori Tobias is a former resident of both Alaska and Colorado, where she was a columnist for the Rocky Mountain News.

[Aaron Breniman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read by Tobias. A quick, short tale of life in Alaska & how the lives of those that migrate there integrate with those that are from there & the culture. Although not entirely spellbinding, it did hold my attention. I'm not a super fan of stories of adultery & mistrust, but it was entertaining enough...possibly a sequel with what Nate encountered & experienced when he was on 'the slope' is forthcoming & the intersection of those two experiences culminating back in town...I don't know, now I'm just rambling. There were a few times that I noted that the explicit foreshadowing could have been done in a more muted fashion, the rapid tone change just felt a little out of place. Good, entertaining read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrice “Pete” Nash is a radio news reporter in Alaska. Her husband Nate takes off to work on “the slope” for months. How will she survive the winter alone? Well, she isn’t alone. She has her radio station family, including a new guy named Ren who wants to be more than just a colleague. Will she or won’t she? And why do people in town keep disappearing? These are the questions that drive Tobias’ first novel. It’s not perfect—too many names to remember, some grammar problems, but it gripped me hard and wouldn’t let go. A fun read. Full disclosure: Tobias is a friend.

[Diane Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story follows a young couple at a crossroads in their marriage that they didn't even know about. I found myself rooting for the two to find their way back. But I find myself wondering what happens next! Will there be a sequel?

[S.A. Jeffers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! I personally enjoy novels that can pack so much into a small page count, as a mom it is hard to have time to read super long books and this one was just right! The characters were striking and it kept you turning page after page to hear Pete's story.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning really grabbed me, but the end didn't live up to the wonderful start. For me, the book was about how you never really know anyone.