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The Wilderness
Once it was a family home. Now they are all at sea...
When Anna and David receive a phone call late one evening, their lives are upturned. Within minutes, they are travelling to the west coast of Scotland, preparing to care for two young sisters, tragically and suddenly orphaned.
It's a beautiful place, the heather is in bloom, the birds wheel above the waves, the deer graze peacefully in the distance. But the large granite house is no longer a home for the girls, and Anna knows she can never take the place of their mother. Then David invites his friend to stay, to 'ease them through' and Anna finds herself increasingly isolated, with everything she - and the girls - once knew of life discarded and overruled by a man of whom she is deeply suspicious.
When Anna and David receive a phone call late one evening, their lives are upturned. Within minutes, they are travelling to the west coast of Scotland, preparing to care for two young sisters, tragically and suddenly orphaned.
It's a beautiful place, the heather is in bloom, the birds wheel above the waves, the deer graze peacefully in the distance. But the large granite house is no longer a home for the girls, and Anna knows she can never take the place of their mother. Then David invites his friend to stay, to 'ease them through' and Anna finds herself increasingly isolated, with everything she - and the girls - once knew of life discarded and overruled by a man of whom she is deeply suspicious.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2022
2 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 9, 2022
Anna and her husband David received the terrible news that his brother and wife have been killed. This is a novel about how your settled life can change overnight when the couple in their early 60s have to become guardians to their teenage nieces. They travel to an island off the west coast of Scotland, to the remote granite house, to its wild isolation in more ways than one. Later on their friend Brendan arrives who they’ve known since university and then everything changes.
The story is told principally from Anna‘s perspective which works extremely well. You feel her emotions, her feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness that no one respects what she does, that her London life has been uprooted. I become annoyed on her behalf as neither David or Brendan listen to her, yet she seems the voice of common sense.
There are some excellent descriptions of the house, the island and island life that are so evocative you could almost be there.
There are growing discordant notes with the girls and Brendan‘s behaviour, amplified by the threatening elements in the wild location and it takes a weird and potentially sinister, frightening and almost savagely feral direction which is counterbalance by Anna‘s reflections on life, marriage, age divides and so on. It’s very intense as it forces all of them to think about what they really want. The ending is very good with a sense of renewal.
Overall this is a very accomplished novel and I look forward to reading this authors work in future.
With thanks to a NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The story is told principally from Anna‘s perspective which works extremely well. You feel her emotions, her feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness that no one respects what she does, that her London life has been uprooted. I become annoyed on her behalf as neither David or Brendan listen to her, yet she seems the voice of common sense.
There are some excellent descriptions of the house, the island and island life that are so evocative you could almost be there.
There are growing discordant notes with the girls and Brendan‘s behaviour, amplified by the threatening elements in the wild location and it takes a weird and potentially sinister, frightening and almost savagely feral direction which is counterbalance by Anna‘s reflections on life, marriage, age divides and so on. It’s very intense as it forces all of them to think about what they really want. The ending is very good with a sense of renewal.
Overall this is a very accomplished novel and I look forward to reading this authors work in future.
With thanks to a NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
July 25, 2022
I don't know what I expected after reading the blurb for this book, but whatever it was, it was NOT what I got.
This novel was highly original. Creepy and atmospheric yes, but deeply unsettling and bizarre as well.
The family friend Brendan, who came to stay with them in Scotland was a deeply disturbed man. He caused me as a reader to be as troubled as the two girls were... I expected the narrative to be from Anna's point of view, but most of the novel was not. The relationship between the girls and Brendan was one of suspicion, with the reader never knowing if it would develop into the highly unsavory. I expected to feel deep empathy for the girls, but I found them to be peculiar and unconventional. So much so that I wondered just what they were capable of...
The 'wilderness' of the title spoke to more than just the isolated setting on a Scottish island. It spoke to the wilderness of relationships that were increasingly un-navigational, perplex, and complicated.
The Brendan character brought an almost primal vibe to the novel. He was eccentric and deeply disturbed. The two girls, in throes of grief, were susceptible to his bizarre ideas and the resulting atmosphere quickly became toxic.
The ending of the novel brought home the idea of transience. How we are all here for such a short time, we are inconsequential. Everything returns to wilderness over time...
All in all, a memorable and disturbing read.
This novel was highly original. Creepy and atmospheric yes, but deeply unsettling and bizarre as well.
The family friend Brendan, who came to stay with them in Scotland was a deeply disturbed man. He caused me as a reader to be as troubled as the two girls were... I expected the narrative to be from Anna's point of view, but most of the novel was not. The relationship between the girls and Brendan was one of suspicion, with the reader never knowing if it would develop into the highly unsavory. I expected to feel deep empathy for the girls, but I found them to be peculiar and unconventional. So much so that I wondered just what they were capable of...
The 'wilderness' of the title spoke to more than just the isolated setting on a Scottish island. It spoke to the wilderness of relationships that were increasingly un-navigational, perplex, and complicated.
The Brendan character brought an almost primal vibe to the novel. He was eccentric and deeply disturbed. The two girls, in throes of grief, were susceptible to his bizarre ideas and the resulting atmosphere quickly became toxic.
The ending of the novel brought home the idea of transience. How we are all here for such a short time, we are inconsequential. Everything returns to wilderness over time...
All in all, a memorable and disturbing read.
May 12, 2022
A deeply emotional and observant narrative about loss and having to start again, having unexpected responsibility thrust upon you and the healing power of time
Beautifully written and engagingly styled I read this in one sitting.
Recommended.
Beautifully written and engagingly styled I read this in one sitting.
Recommended.
July 25, 2022
It is almost seven years ago since I read Sarah Duguid's debut novel; Look At Me. I absolutely loved that book and the author's sparse but magical prose. I've been looking forward to The Wilderness for a long time.
Anna and David live a conventional life in London. With two adult sons, David has been contemplating retirement whilst Anna continues to keep house, just as she's done throughout their relationship. Her family make fun of her hostess trolley and her neat and tidy house, but she's happy, in her own way.
One phone call turns that life upside down. David's brother and his wife have been killed and he and Anna are named legal guardians to their two teenage daughters. Making the long journey up to a remote Scottish island gives Anna time to imagine what lies ahead, whilst David barely deals with his grief.
Whilst Anna does remember signing the papers many years ago, agreeing to take care of Isabella and Sasha, she'd never imagined that it would actually happen.
The large, cold, stone house on the isolated island is so far away from Anna's home comforts and when David announces that they cannot uproot the girls, and in fact, they will move themselves to Scotland, she is horrified
David and Anna's long-term friend, Brandon is invited to stay with them. With teaching experience, it is thought that he can help with dealing with the distraught girls who are suddenly orphans, have always been home schooled and in comparison to city teenagers are somewhat naive and introverted.
Sarah Duguid has such a skill in weaving together a story that is both evocative and dark. There's a sense of tension that rises throughout the narrative, as the reader, and Anna realise that Brandon's behaviour is strange with dubious intent. The house, and the island become characters in themselves as this talented author beautifully incorporates the beauty and desolation of both into the haunting and dramatic story.
This is a study in grief and relationships, it is beautifully evocative with a darkness that lurks and eventually floods the story. Highly recommended by me.
Anna and David live a conventional life in London. With two adult sons, David has been contemplating retirement whilst Anna continues to keep house, just as she's done throughout their relationship. Her family make fun of her hostess trolley and her neat and tidy house, but she's happy, in her own way.
One phone call turns that life upside down. David's brother and his wife have been killed and he and Anna are named legal guardians to their two teenage daughters. Making the long journey up to a remote Scottish island gives Anna time to imagine what lies ahead, whilst David barely deals with his grief.
Whilst Anna does remember signing the papers many years ago, agreeing to take care of Isabella and Sasha, she'd never imagined that it would actually happen.
The large, cold, stone house on the isolated island is so far away from Anna's home comforts and when David announces that they cannot uproot the girls, and in fact, they will move themselves to Scotland, she is horrified
David and Anna's long-term friend, Brandon is invited to stay with them. With teaching experience, it is thought that he can help with dealing with the distraught girls who are suddenly orphans, have always been home schooled and in comparison to city teenagers are somewhat naive and introverted.
Sarah Duguid has such a skill in weaving together a story that is both evocative and dark. There's a sense of tension that rises throughout the narrative, as the reader, and Anna realise that Brandon's behaviour is strange with dubious intent. The house, and the island become characters in themselves as this talented author beautifully incorporates the beauty and desolation of both into the haunting and dramatic story.
This is a study in grief and relationships, it is beautifully evocative with a darkness that lurks and eventually floods the story. Highly recommended by me.
May 26, 2022
This book follows Anna and her husband, David, after this brother and sister-in-law are killed. They find themselves thrust into a life of grief and new responsibilities now that they responsible for looking after their orphaned teenage nieces, something that Anna isn’t exactly thrilled about, and having to move to a rundown house with no water in Scotland, which is about as isolating as you can get. We follow Anna’s struggles as she tries to cope with her fragile marriage to David, along with the two girls who have lost their parents and trying to get to grips with their new remote house which is a far cry from their old home in London. After an old friend of David’s turns up to try and help with the girls, everything changes again for poor Anna, who is now finding herself having to question exactly what it is that she really wants in life, and whether she’s been able to make her own choices.
This is one of those books that really makes you stop and think while you’re reading it. It makes you feel for the characters and all their vulnerabilities, which in such a short book is a big accomplishment to do. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the pacing is perfect. I felt like I was right there with Anna while she was trying her best to navigate the rocky waters of her life.
10/10 would absolutely recommend for a change of pace from what you usually read. Thank you so much to Headline for sending me a copy in exchange for my review.
This is one of those books that really makes you stop and think while you’re reading it. It makes you feel for the characters and all their vulnerabilities, which in such a short book is a big accomplishment to do. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and the pacing is perfect. I felt like I was right there with Anna while she was trying her best to navigate the rocky waters of her life.
10/10 would absolutely recommend for a change of pace from what you usually read. Thank you so much to Headline for sending me a copy in exchange for my review.
December 13, 2022
2.5*
Creepy novel set in on a wild island - SCOTLAND
David and Anna are urban empty nesters in London. Their sons are in their twenties and long gone. When Anna and David get the devastating news that two young girls are in dire straits in their remote home on a Scottish Island, they immediately take the flight from London City Airport to Inverness. We have to wait a little while to discover who the children are and how they have come to find themselves marooned.
On the island, bodies have to be buried and the wider family has gathered for the funerals. The author inserts David’s long term pal, Brendan, in amongst the mourners who have come together on the island. He seems to have arrived on a whim, and we know that Anna deeply despises him. We also know through her that he is pretty much a failed anthropologist, if not a failed human being in her eyes. Why he dogs their lives remains unclear.
It transpires that the couple is best placed to care for the youngsters, and so the two decamp, without real discussion, to the wilds of Scotland so that the children don’t have to suffer further upheaval. The longterm aim is to make the children’s transition as easy as possible to a new life in London, and hunkering down on the island for a few months means they can all get to know each other. They start to settle in and, blow me down, Brendan arrives like the proverbial bad penny and stays for the duration.
Brendan is portrayed as unwashed and hairy (according to the girls) and comes with shaman and healing experience. He is determined to assist the young girls through their grief. Yes, he is creepy but it is the author’s handling of his behaviour that is creepily and rather repulsively spine-chilling. Brendan has few boundaries and the girls accuse him of entering their bedroom unannounced. He denies this. He then goes on to describe one of the girls in her red/white candy cane night dress as “sweet enough to lick”. If, as an author, you decide to introduce inappropriate behaviour in an adult, where children are present, then you have to be really sure of your ground. The author unfortunately does not seem sure of her ground.
The author goes on to overlay the story with further sexual innuendo: for example, she has Anna pondering whether she should “jiggle herself about like an old-fashioned housewife” on the “washing machine that is making its crescendo towards its final break-neck spin”. I mean, jiggle-washing? Brendan is given the task of lustily eating a mango, which, given its consistency and texture, is a standard metaphor for sexual activity, but the author has Brendan slurping his way through the fruit in a revolting way. Why include it, to be honest, when we already know that he is a repellent man? “Are you feeling ripe?” he goes on to enquire of Anna, at which point I felt quite nauseous. Later, Anna is discussing her sexual relationships with her son – how does that fit in? Her son describes how he is separated from his girlfriend and feels now is his time to go traveling at the age of 26. Anna is all the while wondering whether she will ever be a grandmother (when she isn’t busy on multiple occasions wiping the condensation from her windows). This story can just feel so random…
At base, the author ineffectively tinkers with a very difficult subject, which makes the story of Brendan all the more cringe-worthy and off-putting. This kind of subject matter needs a robust and confident approach, and because this story is anything but assured, it drifts into a rather discomfiting experience.
The storyline feels like a very early draft that could be so much more if the characters had been fleshed out. We have no real idea why Brendan inveigles himself into the couple relationship/family. We suspect that there may be some marital issues between Anna and David (and in fact they do go away for a weekend together but we have little understanding behind the reasoning of their next move). The children are at times indistinguishable from each other, so when they both start “pawing the ground” with the tips of their feet, it feels they are ready to launch into some kind of double-act. Dialogue throughout is perfunctory and just when some psychological depth might ensue, the conversation ends.
Look, what the author does really well is conjure up the barren and inhospitable landscape. The characters are soaked through for much of the time, whilst they construct a shrine (remember we have a would-be shaman in their midst). The rain descends and obliterates the landscape, the sea foams, the wind howls, and it is all rather remote and bleak. She also has a very nice, fluid writing style which is what kept me reading to the end.
Overall a much tighter editing hand could have developed this novel into a cohesive read but as it stands, it remains creepily unpalatable. The author really does have an engaging way of telling a story – I think it was the choice of subject matter and poor editing that did her considerable disservice on this occasion.
Creepy novel set in on a wild island - SCOTLAND
David and Anna are urban empty nesters in London. Their sons are in their twenties and long gone. When Anna and David get the devastating news that two young girls are in dire straits in their remote home on a Scottish Island, they immediately take the flight from London City Airport to Inverness. We have to wait a little while to discover who the children are and how they have come to find themselves marooned.
On the island, bodies have to be buried and the wider family has gathered for the funerals. The author inserts David’s long term pal, Brendan, in amongst the mourners who have come together on the island. He seems to have arrived on a whim, and we know that Anna deeply despises him. We also know through her that he is pretty much a failed anthropologist, if not a failed human being in her eyes. Why he dogs their lives remains unclear.
It transpires that the couple is best placed to care for the youngsters, and so the two decamp, without real discussion, to the wilds of Scotland so that the children don’t have to suffer further upheaval. The longterm aim is to make the children’s transition as easy as possible to a new life in London, and hunkering down on the island for a few months means they can all get to know each other. They start to settle in and, blow me down, Brendan arrives like the proverbial bad penny and stays for the duration.
Brendan is portrayed as unwashed and hairy (according to the girls) and comes with shaman and healing experience. He is determined to assist the young girls through their grief. Yes, he is creepy but it is the author’s handling of his behaviour that is creepily and rather repulsively spine-chilling. Brendan has few boundaries and the girls accuse him of entering their bedroom unannounced. He denies this. He then goes on to describe one of the girls in her red/white candy cane night dress as “sweet enough to lick”. If, as an author, you decide to introduce inappropriate behaviour in an adult, where children are present, then you have to be really sure of your ground. The author unfortunately does not seem sure of her ground.
The author goes on to overlay the story with further sexual innuendo: for example, she has Anna pondering whether she should “jiggle herself about like an old-fashioned housewife” on the “washing machine that is making its crescendo towards its final break-neck spin”. I mean, jiggle-washing? Brendan is given the task of lustily eating a mango, which, given its consistency and texture, is a standard metaphor for sexual activity, but the author has Brendan slurping his way through the fruit in a revolting way. Why include it, to be honest, when we already know that he is a repellent man? “Are you feeling ripe?” he goes on to enquire of Anna, at which point I felt quite nauseous. Later, Anna is discussing her sexual relationships with her son – how does that fit in? Her son describes how he is separated from his girlfriend and feels now is his time to go traveling at the age of 26. Anna is all the while wondering whether she will ever be a grandmother (when she isn’t busy on multiple occasions wiping the condensation from her windows). This story can just feel so random…
At base, the author ineffectively tinkers with a very difficult subject, which makes the story of Brendan all the more cringe-worthy and off-putting. This kind of subject matter needs a robust and confident approach, and because this story is anything but assured, it drifts into a rather discomfiting experience.
The storyline feels like a very early draft that could be so much more if the characters had been fleshed out. We have no real idea why Brendan inveigles himself into the couple relationship/family. We suspect that there may be some marital issues between Anna and David (and in fact they do go away for a weekend together but we have little understanding behind the reasoning of their next move). The children are at times indistinguishable from each other, so when they both start “pawing the ground” with the tips of their feet, it feels they are ready to launch into some kind of double-act. Dialogue throughout is perfunctory and just when some psychological depth might ensue, the conversation ends.
Look, what the author does really well is conjure up the barren and inhospitable landscape. The characters are soaked through for much of the time, whilst they construct a shrine (remember we have a would-be shaman in their midst). The rain descends and obliterates the landscape, the sea foams, the wind howls, and it is all rather remote and bleak. She also has a very nice, fluid writing style which is what kept me reading to the end.
Overall a much tighter editing hand could have developed this novel into a cohesive read but as it stands, it remains creepily unpalatable. The author really does have an engaging way of telling a story – I think it was the choice of subject matter and poor editing that did her considerable disservice on this occasion.
August 8, 2022
Sarah Duguid's second novel, The Wilderness, was published July 21, 2022 by Tinder Press. This relatively short literary fiction is deliciously and unexpectedly creepy. The viewpoint shifts easily between Anna and the two teenage girls, Sasha and Isabella, but focuses mainly on Anna's perspective as her quiet, empty nester life is turned upside down by a long ago promise and a recent tragedy.
The Wilderness covers a lot of ground in a short amount of pages. Its characters are at times philosophical, at times sardonic, flawed and somewhat self-deprecating. The boundaries of family, marriage, grief, longing, and expectations are explored as Anna and her husband try to navigate a new normal with the two wild and enigmatic sisters. It turns sinister with the arrival of an old family friend, and from there, more dark events follow. The writing is exquisite and I am looking forward to reading the author's first book, as well as more from her in the future.
1w
The Wilderness covers a lot of ground in a short amount of pages. Its characters are at times philosophical, at times sardonic, flawed and somewhat self-deprecating. The boundaries of family, marriage, grief, longing, and expectations are explored as Anna and her husband try to navigate a new normal with the two wild and enigmatic sisters. It turns sinister with the arrival of an old family friend, and from there, more dark events follow. The writing is exquisite and I am looking forward to reading the author's first book, as well as more from her in the future.
1w
July 29, 2022
Not what I was expecting but in the best way. A really thoughtful novel, exploring a number of themes including grief, sisterhood and relationships.
April 24, 2022
This is a slender, intense book that explores grief and love, but with such a sharp attention to detail that I found it very difficult to put down.
Anna and David receive a call one evening which turns their cosy middle-class life and marriage upside down. Everything they thought they held dear gets held up to scrutiny during the course of the novel, including their love for one another.
They must travel to remote Scotland to take on the care of two orphaned sisters who, deep in the midst of their grief and anger, are sullen and resentful despite their need for love and reassurance. When David asks a close friend to help them build a relationship with the girls as they prepare to transition to a new life in London, the new arrival unsettles what fragile peace the girls have managed to discover since the death of their parents.
Away from the calming veneer of civilisation, Anna begins to question her role as a mother and a wife. Is her life now the product of choices she made of her free will, or has she somehow been short-changed, relegated to a life of service to her husband and her sons, rather than being able to craft her own existence?
Once in the wilderness of Scotland, in a broken house with no running water, surrounded by two men who have in turns betrayed and belittled her, Anna begins to see her life with a clarity she lacked before.
This is a book about love over time, about the role of women, and about grief. It is powerful and beautifully written - packing a huge punch for its diminutive size.
Anna and David receive a call one evening which turns their cosy middle-class life and marriage upside down. Everything they thought they held dear gets held up to scrutiny during the course of the novel, including their love for one another.
They must travel to remote Scotland to take on the care of two orphaned sisters who, deep in the midst of their grief and anger, are sullen and resentful despite their need for love and reassurance. When David asks a close friend to help them build a relationship with the girls as they prepare to transition to a new life in London, the new arrival unsettles what fragile peace the girls have managed to discover since the death of their parents.
Away from the calming veneer of civilisation, Anna begins to question her role as a mother and a wife. Is her life now the product of choices she made of her free will, or has she somehow been short-changed, relegated to a life of service to her husband and her sons, rather than being able to craft her own existence?
Once in the wilderness of Scotland, in a broken house with no running water, surrounded by two men who have in turns betrayed and belittled her, Anna begins to see her life with a clarity she lacked before.
This is a book about love over time, about the role of women, and about grief. It is powerful and beautifully written - packing a huge punch for its diminutive size.
July 28, 2022
For me, the book began a little chaotically, however I felt like that was purposeful with the unexpected deaths and confusion that followed. It all fit with the plot, a situation like that is going to throw everything in disarray.
The story settles into a rhythm. I love the relationship between David and Anna - it’s a real love, one that’s evolved over decades, even at the points she’s lying in bed hating him, even through their problems it feels realistic.
Sasha and Isabella - something seemed so sinister and off about them, very complex children. It made me want to keep reading, to figure these characters out and see where everything was going.
Enter Brendan and my thoughts on who was sinister changed entirely- he made me so uncomfortable and I’m still not sure now on what he was trying to achieve, I don’t want to give too much away and I think it’s a book that we’ll all have a different opinion on.
The writing is hugely atmospheric with the island and the mist and weather, the feeling of being cold and damp, exposed physically and metaphorically. It was very well done.
One thing that really resonated with me was
the outside judgement of a persons life path. What it is to be a mum, lose yourself, feel inadequate for being middle class - it’s only touched on at brief moments but it’s poignant and I took that away from the book.
This was a book that flowed, slow and steady like the tides on the island and I found myself caught up in it. It’s quite open ended, leaving the reader to imagine multiple scenarios. For me, there was something a little unnerving behind the words, and that left me with a vivid scenario in my head.
The story settles into a rhythm. I love the relationship between David and Anna - it’s a real love, one that’s evolved over decades, even at the points she’s lying in bed hating him, even through their problems it feels realistic.
Sasha and Isabella - something seemed so sinister and off about them, very complex children. It made me want to keep reading, to figure these characters out and see where everything was going.
Enter Brendan and my thoughts on who was sinister changed entirely- he made me so uncomfortable and I’m still not sure now on what he was trying to achieve, I don’t want to give too much away and I think it’s a book that we’ll all have a different opinion on.
The writing is hugely atmospheric with the island and the mist and weather, the feeling of being cold and damp, exposed physically and metaphorically. It was very well done.
One thing that really resonated with me was
the outside judgement of a persons life path. What it is to be a mum, lose yourself, feel inadequate for being middle class - it’s only touched on at brief moments but it’s poignant and I took that away from the book.
This was a book that flowed, slow and steady like the tides on the island and I found myself caught up in it. It’s quite open ended, leaving the reader to imagine multiple scenarios. For me, there was something a little unnerving behind the words, and that left me with a vivid scenario in my head.
August 1, 2022
Very unlike the books I normally read, The Wilderness is not a thriller or a book in which things ‘happen’. It’s about what is and what was and what can no longer be. And how to move forward. It’s about grief and loss and finding oneself, not just for the children, but also for David and Anna and their friend Brendan.
I must say that I didn’t much like Brendan. His way of handling grief at times seemed inappropriate for such young girls, too hands-on and as they described him – creepy. Also too self-focussed – it should never have been about him. If he were their counsellor for real, his feelings would not have come into it.
But back to the story. Young teenagers, Isabella and Sasha, have tragically lost their parents, Peter and Rachel, in a car accident and are now orphans. Peter’s brother David and his wife Anna were named as the legal guardians of the girls in case of such an event, but neither ever expected it to happen. Anna is resentful – their two sons have grown up and left home and they have found a kind of freedom and independence of sorts. But Anna will cope, here in their lovely home in London. She always copes in her boring, housewifey way.
So it’s a shock when David decides to take a three month sabbatical and moves them up to the Scottish Highlands, to ease the girls into their new life, but staying put in their falling-down home on a remote island. It’s wet and freezing and Anna is constantly unhappy. And she misses her friend Avery and her cat.
Then Brendan arrives, having decided he can ‘fix’ them with his own unconventional version of psychotherapy. They will be born again. But he has an agenda and Anna is deeply suspicious.
It’s a very sad book at times, because nothing can change what has happened. Can there be a future for all of them and will it be a happy one?
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to NetGalley for an ARC.
I must say that I didn’t much like Brendan. His way of handling grief at times seemed inappropriate for such young girls, too hands-on and as they described him – creepy. Also too self-focussed – it should never have been about him. If he were their counsellor for real, his feelings would not have come into it.
But back to the story. Young teenagers, Isabella and Sasha, have tragically lost their parents, Peter and Rachel, in a car accident and are now orphans. Peter’s brother David and his wife Anna were named as the legal guardians of the girls in case of such an event, but neither ever expected it to happen. Anna is resentful – their two sons have grown up and left home and they have found a kind of freedom and independence of sorts. But Anna will cope, here in their lovely home in London. She always copes in her boring, housewifey way.
So it’s a shock when David decides to take a three month sabbatical and moves them up to the Scottish Highlands, to ease the girls into their new life, but staying put in their falling-down home on a remote island. It’s wet and freezing and Anna is constantly unhappy. And she misses her friend Avery and her cat.
Then Brendan arrives, having decided he can ‘fix’ them with his own unconventional version of psychotherapy. They will be born again. But he has an agenda and Anna is deeply suspicious.
It’s a very sad book at times, because nothing can change what has happened. Can there be a future for all of them and will it be a happy one?
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to NetGalley for an ARC.
July 26, 2022
(3.5* rounded up to 4)
The author hooks you in with a very intriguing prologue which then has you wondering all through the book just what has happened and what will happen.
My goodness what a tragedy this family had to face and what upheaval and readjustment for all. I had every sympathy for Anna. Not only did she have to deal with such a traumatic event but she was an instant mother-figure to two teenage girls. In addition, she was uprooted from her comfortable city life to live in the wilds of a Scottish island, at the mercy of the weather and the tides. The old house couldn’t have been more different from her London home either, being old-fashioned and draughty. It wasn’t just the island that was a wilderness: everyone’s lives were a kind of wilderness too, a turbulent new situation that everyone had to try to get used to.
I did not like the character of David’s friend Brendan at all. Every scene he was in made the characters edgy and had a really unsettling feel. His actions verged on the bizarre at times and made me feel quite uncomfortable. What was needed for this family was stability and he really rocked the metaphorical boat.
The author did a brilliant job of creating a really eerie atmosphere with the house and the island feeling rather claustrophobic. They really felt like additional characters at times.
The Wilderness is a short read at around 250 pages but each page is packed with tension and detail. It puts a spotlight on grief, the unravelling of a family following tragic loss and how that family begins to reshape itself.
The author hooks you in with a very intriguing prologue which then has you wondering all through the book just what has happened and what will happen.
My goodness what a tragedy this family had to face and what upheaval and readjustment for all. I had every sympathy for Anna. Not only did she have to deal with such a traumatic event but she was an instant mother-figure to two teenage girls. In addition, she was uprooted from her comfortable city life to live in the wilds of a Scottish island, at the mercy of the weather and the tides. The old house couldn’t have been more different from her London home either, being old-fashioned and draughty. It wasn’t just the island that was a wilderness: everyone’s lives were a kind of wilderness too, a turbulent new situation that everyone had to try to get used to.
I did not like the character of David’s friend Brendan at all. Every scene he was in made the characters edgy and had a really unsettling feel. His actions verged on the bizarre at times and made me feel quite uncomfortable. What was needed for this family was stability and he really rocked the metaphorical boat.
The author did a brilliant job of creating a really eerie atmosphere with the house and the island feeling rather claustrophobic. They really felt like additional characters at times.
The Wilderness is a short read at around 250 pages but each page is packed with tension and detail. It puts a spotlight on grief, the unravelling of a family following tragic loss and how that family begins to reshape itself.
July 27, 2022
This is undoubtedly a beautifully written book with descriptive, evocative prose. The house and setting sounded idyllic yet, at times, frustrating. Grief, loss and the grieving process were the central themes in the book and these were explored with insight and sensitivity. A strong theme was also womanhood, including motherhood and ageing, and loss of identity.
I really felt for Anna, being dragged away from her life and friends (and cat) in London to look after her grieving nieces in the middle of nowhere on a remote island. I took an immediate dislike to Anna and David's friend Brendan who became increasingly loathsome throughout. I never really understood why he was there and why he stayed so long, or why on earth the girls were left alone with him. It was quite an unsettling read and at times disturbing, especiallyas the story progressed. It was written largely from Anna's POV and this worked but I felt I would have liked to have known more about the girls and David. David's role in the story was generally passive and yet his actions had huge impacts on the family.
The story has left me with questions, which is fine, but in some ways I feel it may have worked better as a longer novel. It was well paced with the right amount of tension and kept me interested. The characters were well written but the standout feature for me was the quality of the descriptive prose and the scene setting.
I really felt for Anna, being dragged away from her life and friends (and cat) in London to look after her grieving nieces in the middle of nowhere on a remote island. I took an immediate dislike to Anna and David's friend Brendan who became increasingly loathsome throughout. I never really understood why he was there and why he stayed so long, or why on earth the girls were left alone with him. It was quite an unsettling read and at times disturbing, especiallyas the story progressed. It was written largely from Anna's POV and this worked but I felt I would have liked to have known more about the girls and David. David's role in the story was generally passive and yet his actions had huge impacts on the family.
The story has left me with questions, which is fine, but in some ways I feel it may have worked better as a longer novel. It was well paced with the right amount of tension and kept me interested. The characters were well written but the standout feature for me was the quality of the descriptive prose and the scene setting.
July 18, 2022
This is one of those stories that I found really unsettling! It centres on the emotions caused by grief, and the helplessness that people can feel when they find themselves facing a complete change of life and how they handle that, alongside trying to remain strong for those around them.
Anna and David receive tragic news and a whole new life now lays ahead for them as they are left to care for 2 young orphaned sisters, so the grief is raw for them all which adds to the mixed emotions of the adults and children as they find themselves living in a house full of memories.
An old friend of the family, Brendan, comes to join them to help out and we start to see the impact that has on them all as the story takes time to explore each of their feelings and perceptions of how life is going, and makes them question whether what they are doing is right for all.
The setting really adds to the ambience of this story and the slower pace allows all the uncertainty and creepiness to build up! I did feel uneasy at times as the story plays out and watching the impact of life events on all the characters and how vulnerable and afraid they were of showing too much emotion. It all becomes a very odd set up and you're left to feel very uneasy over certain goings on!
This is a dark read but enjoyable none the less as the atmosphere and tension keeps your interest piqued!
Anna and David receive tragic news and a whole new life now lays ahead for them as they are left to care for 2 young orphaned sisters, so the grief is raw for them all which adds to the mixed emotions of the adults and children as they find themselves living in a house full of memories.
An old friend of the family, Brendan, comes to join them to help out and we start to see the impact that has on them all as the story takes time to explore each of their feelings and perceptions of how life is going, and makes them question whether what they are doing is right for all.
The setting really adds to the ambience of this story and the slower pace allows all the uncertainty and creepiness to build up! I did feel uneasy at times as the story plays out and watching the impact of life events on all the characters and how vulnerable and afraid they were of showing too much emotion. It all becomes a very odd set up and you're left to feel very uneasy over certain goings on!
This is a dark read but enjoyable none the less as the atmosphere and tension keeps your interest piqued!
July 25, 2022
The Wilderness by Sarah Duguid is a well paced psychological novel.
Anna and David are suddenly thrust back in to parenthood when Davids brother and his wife tragically die. They have to move from London to a remote house in Scotland to care for the girls. To help them, Davids friend Brendan comes too, which causes more tension and suspicion in the isolated house.
The book is unsettling, tense and atmospheric. It is very descriptive, you feel all of the emotions and feelings and are transported to the isolation of the remote Scottish cottage.
I loved the description of the Scottish house and island, it is definitely somewhere I would like to stay (definitely not live in though!)
It is written mainly from Annas point of view which I enjoyed. I really felt sorry for her and you feel her panic at her new found situation and the isolation of her new life.
The characters all coming to terms with their grief is a profound theme to the book, and it really highlights the age old saying that time is a healer as well as forcing characters to reflect on their life and choices.
There becomes growing tension in the house between certain characters as well as some sinister turns, all of which I enjoyed reading.
I enjoyed the moderate pace of the book and the beautifully descriptive prose throughout.
Anna and David are suddenly thrust back in to parenthood when Davids brother and his wife tragically die. They have to move from London to a remote house in Scotland to care for the girls. To help them, Davids friend Brendan comes too, which causes more tension and suspicion in the isolated house.
The book is unsettling, tense and atmospheric. It is very descriptive, you feel all of the emotions and feelings and are transported to the isolation of the remote Scottish cottage.
I loved the description of the Scottish house and island, it is definitely somewhere I would like to stay (definitely not live in though!)
It is written mainly from Annas point of view which I enjoyed. I really felt sorry for her and you feel her panic at her new found situation and the isolation of her new life.
The characters all coming to terms with their grief is a profound theme to the book, and it really highlights the age old saying that time is a healer as well as forcing characters to reflect on their life and choices.
There becomes growing tension in the house between certain characters as well as some sinister turns, all of which I enjoyed reading.
I enjoyed the moderate pace of the book and the beautifully descriptive prose throughout.
August 2, 2022
Any phone call that comes late at night invariably heralds bad news, and for Anna and David, at home in London, the call informing them of a devastating accident will change their ordered lives forever.
Hurrying up to a remote island in Western Scotland to be with the now orphaned children of David's brother and his wife, and with two grieving teenage girls to look after, life for all of them is never going to be easy especially as Anna and David, now in their sixties with a grown up family of their own, have had to put their own lives on hold. Into this complicated mix comes Brendan, a rather odd friend of Anna and David's, who wants to help out with the situation but who merely makes things much more difficult for everyone.
The Wilderness is a starkly forbidding tale, and whilst beautifully descriptive of a bleak and sullen land it is brightened by the imaginative description of the coast where this odd mix of people are all living together. The sisters, Isabella and Sasha are themselves a study in grief, volatile, mercurial, lost and alone. They are in desperate need of love and understanding but what comes across is the story of fractured and disturbing relationships.
Accomplished, thought provoking and with a dark and sinister edginess, The Wilderness is a story which will stay with me for a long time.
August 17, 2022
Anna and David are at home in London when they receive a phone call that changes their life forever. They travel as fast as possible to the west coast of Scotland where their two teenage nieces have just lost their parents.
Anna find the house and location beautiful but too remote and she wants to take the girls back to London. However, they decide to stay against her wishes and David invites his old friend Brandan to join them and help the girls with their loss.
Soon Anna finds that Brendan has begun to take over and she feels abandoned in a place she doesn’t want to be and controlled by a man who she is growing more and more suspicious of.
This is a haunting and deeply moving book that you will still be thinking about long after reading it. The Wilderness is a beautifully written book that I thought had a lot of gothic aspects, especially is the description of the atmosphere, weather and the old house.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. I would rate as a five star read.
Anna find the house and location beautiful but too remote and she wants to take the girls back to London. However, they decide to stay against her wishes and David invites his old friend Brandan to join them and help the girls with their loss.
Soon Anna finds that Brendan has begun to take over and she feels abandoned in a place she doesn’t want to be and controlled by a man who she is growing more and more suspicious of.
This is a haunting and deeply moving book that you will still be thinking about long after reading it. The Wilderness is a beautifully written book that I thought had a lot of gothic aspects, especially is the description of the atmosphere, weather and the old house.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. I would rate as a five star read.
April 9, 2022
This is an atmospheric and evocative novel, following the story of Anna and her husband David after his brother and wife are tragically killed. The couple’s lives are turned around when they find themselves becoming guardians – unwillingly in Anna’s case – to their two teenage nieces, and living in isolation on a remote Scottish island. Nothing could be further from their middle class London lives, and Anna struggles with the house, the girls, and her own feelings about what the future will hold for them all. The arrival of Brendan, their old university friend, changes everything again, and the novel takes a darker and more unsettling turn. Everyone is then forced to question what they really want.
The novel is beautifully written and well-paced – a real page-turner which I read in two sittings. Duguid is also adept at creating a vivid sense of place. I can still picture every corner of the island as though I was there – a place of unease, mystery and wild beauty.
The novel is beautifully written and well-paced – a real page-turner which I read in two sittings. Duguid is also adept at creating a vivid sense of place. I can still picture every corner of the island as though I was there – a place of unease, mystery and wild beauty.
July 5, 2022
What a fabulously eerie read! Sarah Duguid manages to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what's about to happen in such a masterful way that it's hard to work out why there's such a creepy vibe to the book.
Anna and David, a mature, married couple looking forward to retirement, suddenly find themselves looking after two young, teenage girls after a tragic event.
Their friend Brendan arrives to help the couple but Anna feels uneasy and put out by His presence.
You'll have to read for yourself to see how the family fare but I highly recommend this captivating, atmospheric, book! The novel is mainly set in a remote part of Scotland so it really adds to the over all feel of the book!
Anna and David, a mature, married couple looking forward to retirement, suddenly find themselves looking after two young, teenage girls after a tragic event.
Their friend Brendan arrives to help the couple but Anna feels uneasy and put out by His presence.
You'll have to read for yourself to see how the family fare but I highly recommend this captivating, atmospheric, book! The novel is mainly set in a remote part of Scotland so it really adds to the over all feel of the book!
April 28, 2022
From the very start, this book is confusing and a bit chaotic. This isn't a bad thing, it makes for an intense read. I never quite knew if I understood what was going on and that made it all the more compelling.
I truly felt for the characters, in particular Anna, Isabella and Sacha. The girls were so enigmatic, so vulnerable, that I felt a huge need to know that they were safe.
I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a quick, dark read.
I truly felt for the characters, in particular Anna, Isabella and Sacha. The girls were so enigmatic, so vulnerable, that I felt a huge need to know that they were safe.
I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a quick, dark read.
July 12, 2022
I really admired the interplay between Brendan and the sisters, as they alternately flirt with him and despise him, while he seems to have no awareness of the need for boundaries. It seemed inevitable that someone would be harmed, but would it be the girls or the middle-aged man?
https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecd...
https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/annecd...
August 27, 2022
A superbly written novel about having to start your life from scratch dealing with obstacles in the way. Also how you have huge responsibilities on your shoulders.
The descriptions in this are stunning, the author is very good at making you believe you’re there with the characters.
I would highly recommend this novel.
The descriptions in this are stunning, the author is very good at making you believe you’re there with the characters.
I would highly recommend this novel.
August 16, 2022
Easy to imagine yourself in this situation and so thankful you never were. A very short but quite dark story which I seemed to have read before I realised I was near rather end.
Not my favourite read I’m sorry to say but loved the description of the Scottish life.
Not my favourite read I’m sorry to say but loved the description of the Scottish life.
May 19, 2023
Husband and wife move to a remote island to look after two nieces whose parents were killed in a car crash. A strange friend comes to join them. Children are more like 10 year-old than the 14 and 15 they are supposed to be. Strange tension and creepiness throughout the book, but interesting insights into marriage and relationships.
May 27, 2023
There was a lot I initially liked about this book - the characterisation, the setting, the undercurrents - but it left me a little disappointed, as the story never developed quite as fully as I wanted, and my involvement began to wane. Sorry, just not for me...
July 27, 2022
My review for this intriguing novel is on my blog https://thefallenlibrarian.wordpress....
May 24, 2023
Intense but felt as though the climax and resolution of the story was rushed and "convenient" compared to the rest of it.
July 25, 2025
Strange but enjoyable
July 19, 2022
This highly evocative novel is narrated from the perspective of the main character, Anna. She is an interesting character, a childless woman used to living in the city and suddenly finds herself living in the middle of nowhere, trying to raise two bereaved teenage girls following the death of their parents.
For my full review please visit my blog at:
https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
For my full review please visit my blog at:
https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...
July 25, 2022
This book, for me, was thought-provoking, and read a little like a mystery novel. There were twists I didn’t see coming, at all, and that was a highlight.
The writing is fluid and very descriptive, as a reader you almost feel like you could touch everything that was being described.
I enjoyed how the author gave us a chapter at the beginning to show an event, and then we were catapulted backwards and worked our way through what happened to get to that point. That was a very satisfying arc which not all books give us.
In terms of characters, the cast is fairly diverse in age range, and i really enjoyed the fact that the ‘chapters’ flicked back and forth between the ‘main character’s’ POV and then the girls’ POV.
What i didn’t like about the chapters though was that they were so long! 100 odd pages for one chapter, in a book which totals 250ish pages just isn’t right.
The writing is fluid and very descriptive, as a reader you almost feel like you could touch everything that was being described.
I enjoyed how the author gave us a chapter at the beginning to show an event, and then we were catapulted backwards and worked our way through what happened to get to that point. That was a very satisfying arc which not all books give us.
In terms of characters, the cast is fairly diverse in age range, and i really enjoyed the fact that the ‘chapters’ flicked back and forth between the ‘main character’s’ POV and then the girls’ POV.
What i didn’t like about the chapters though was that they were so long! 100 odd pages for one chapter, in a book which totals 250ish pages just isn’t right.
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