Two sisters head off on a road trip to find their mother in The Wilderwomen, the new novel from Ruth Emmie Lang.

"Nora Wilder disappeared several years ago leaving her two daughters, Zadie and Finn, behind. Both daughters have unusual gifts. Zadie is a bit of a psychic but has avoided anything resembling precognition since her mother left. Finn can hear the echoes of a memory - good and bad. Zadie plans a beach trip for Finn's birthday, but Finn convinces her to drive west to look for their Mom. They meet a lot of interesting people along the way and find a surprise at the end."

Lang has a way of writing that makes all of the quirkiness of the characters seem real. Maybe someone can hear the music the stars make or feel a memory or talk to trees. Lang's characters have good hearts and often search for some answer, while being full of hope that it's out there if you follow the clues. I was pulling for the girls to find their mom and get answers.

This story is about family and how strong familial bonds can be - even when family members are separated.

Do you have a quirky ability? Is there something you can do that's unexplainable? I have two - one is extremely useful - the other just tends to freak people out. One is that I can find stuff. Family members will misplace something and I will tell them where to look and voila - there it is. The other is that I can tell you what an announcer will say before they say it - for any sport - the exact words. Football, baseball, softball, basketball, even Olympic curling - I know the exact words. Used to freak my roommate out in college - my family just shakes their heads now.

So when Lang writes about gifts, maybe it is true. A pleasant ride of a story.

Zadie Wilder and her little sister Finn have psychic gifts: Zadie sees the future and Finn experiences other people’s memories. When Zadie was 18, their mother Nora abandoned them, and Finn was taken into foster care. Their relationship has been complicated ever since. But just after Finn’s high school graduation, she stumbles into a memory that belonged to their mother, and the two embark on a cross-country journey to try and find their mom.

I really, really loved the relationship between Zadie and Finn – it's complex and sometimes fraught, but through everything their love for each other is palpable. The journey they go through is as much about bringing them back together and healing old wounds as it is about finding Nora – Zadie felt abandoned when Finn was taken away, and Finn felt betrayed that Zadie never wanted to try and find their mother. Their relationship is the beating heart of this novel and it’s just really lovely.

There are a couple of things that have led me to dock this book a star. Specifically, I don’t really understand the point of Joel at all and I kept waiting for the book to explain how they conveniently managed to run across Zadie's ex at a random motel in a different state – I wanted it to tie into the psychic powers or magical realism in the book - but it never did. Also, to be honest I was kind of underwhelmed by the answer to the big mystery of where Nora had disappeared to, but I feel like that’s more of a personal preference than any problem with the book itself. Other people might really love it.

Overall, though, this was just a really lovely book and I do recommend it.

Representation: Queer side characters

When I first read the synopsis of The Wilderwomen, I was very intrigued. I am a big fan of anything fantasy or paranormal, and with what the blurb said, it was right up my alley. And it was. But, as I got into the book, I realized that it wasn’t what I thought it would be, which kept me from truly enjoying it.

The plotline for The Wilderwoman was interesting. It centers around two sisters, Zadie and Finn, and their search for their mother, Nora. Aiding in that search is Zadie’s ability to see glimpses of the future and Finn’s ability to see echoes of the past. On their journey, they meet people that can help them find their mother. Can Zadie and Finn find Nora and confront her? Or will this trip tear them apart for good?

Before I do anything else, I will throw up a trigger warning. There are two significant triggers in The Wilderwomen; they are the abandonment of children and mental illness. If any of these trigger you, I highly suggest not reading this book.

The Wilderwoman is a fast-paced book in the Southwest, the Rockies, and the Pacific Northwest. Zadie and Finn started in Texas, stopped at a campsite in Arizona, followed Nora’s trail to a house in the Rockies, and ended the journey on the beaches of Oregon (or Washington, I wasn’t sure).

The book centers around three main characters: Nora, Zadie, and Finn. I will highlight what I liked/disliked about each character (instead of writing huge paragraphs).

Nora––The author didn’t spend as much time on her as I would have liked. Anything I got from her was from Finn’s echoes and Zadie’s memories (mostly not nice). The more I got into Zadie’s memories; the more Nora became unstable. The author did try to redeem her at the end of the book. But I had already made up my mind at that point.
Zadie—I had alternate feelings about Zadie. I pitied her for what had happened to her (her mother taking off and having an unplanned pregnancy). But, at the same time, she annoyed me. She had a woe-is-me attitude the entire book. I also wanted to shake her because she wasn’t the only one affected by Nora’s leaving. As for her secret, I understood why she wanted to keep it from Finn. Also, I didn’t understand why she was so afraid of her ability, but I guess if I could see glimpses of the future, I would have acted the same way.
Finn—I liked her. She was the exact opposite of Zadie in so many ways. She was upbeat. She was determined to use her ability to find Nora. At one point in the book, I got worried when it seemed like her ability threatened to overtake her life. I thought her storyline would go in another direction, and I was surprised by the turn it took instead.
Several secondary characters added some much-needed depth to the book. I liked them all except Finn’s foster mother. She annoyed the cr*p out of me. I could hear that high-pitched voice and see her facial expressions whenever Zadie was around. Uggh.

The Wilderwomen’s primary genre was magical realism and a bit of fantasy and mystery mixed in. I wasn’t a big fan of the magical realism angle. I thought it covered the fact that Nora took off on her kids. But I did like the fantasy and mystery angles. The fantasy was great, and I liked how the author showcased it differently. The mystery angle was also good. I liked that Zadie and Finn had to work to find Nora’s echoes. I also liked that they had to solve why she left them.

The end of The Wilderwomen was a little disappointing. The author did an excellent job of wrapping up all the storylines, but there was something off with it. I didn’t particularly appreciate how Zadie could accept things (same as Finn). It just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Three reasons why you should read The Wilderwomen

Complex characters
Finn’s use of echoes to see the past
Zadie and Finn’s road trip
Three reasons why you shouldn’t read The Wilderwomen

Triggers of child abandonment and mental illness
Zadie’s attitude for 90% of the book
The ending. I wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did.
I would recommend The Wilderwomen to anyone over 16. There is no sex. But there is some mild violence and language. Also, see my trigger warning above.

A good book let’s you imagine things you might not otherwise imagine on your own. This is that book. The characters are so finely drawn that they drew me back to the book repeatedly. This is magical reality, so you have to suspend your belief just a little to follow Zadie and Finn on their journey. But this is the kind of book that makes you perfectly willing to do that.
Zadie, 23, and Finn, 18, have been without their birth mother for five years. Because Finn was a minor when Nora left, she has been placed in foster care where, luckily, she thrives. But she leaves her own graduation party and convinces her sister (with whom she has had a somewhat remote relationship in recent years) that they need to go find their mother.
Finn has echoes. She can sense people’s memories. And that is the tool they are going to use to follow their mother’s trail. Zadie has premonitions but refuses to acknowledge them as they are difficult and often painful. They are supposed to be on a beach trip to the gulf coast, but instead they head west.
The people they meet and the situations they encounter are the story, of course. But the story is also the rebuilding of the relationship between Zadie and Finn. I really can’t tell you anything about the ending without spoiling it for you.
When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I received an ARC from the publisher, for which I am grateful. But the more I read the deeper I was hooked, until in the end (to use a cliché) I literally couldn’t put it down. It truly was a privilege to read this unusual novel.

I absolutely loved this authors first book so I went into this one assuming I’d love this one too. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t my favorite. I felt like it was very Y/A, not just in the story but in the writing. I also felt like the story was unrealistic, scattered, and left off with several things not explained. The winning factor for this book was the love between the sisters.

We enter the novel 5 years after Nora Wilder goes missing. Zadie, the oldest daughter, invites her sister Finn on a beach vacation, in hopes of repairing their estranged relationship. Little does she know; Finn has other plans for their time together. She wants to look for their long-lost mother. Despite Zadies addiment refusal, they embark on a journey to find answers and hopefully parts of themselves they thought to be long gone.

I am not one to read a book that follows a character’s day to day activities. I usually find the reads slow and dare I say, a bit boring. However, by adding a dash of magic and mystery, Lang turned what could have been a very slow read, into an entertaining adventure. Langs use of magical realism was very refreshing. I thought it helped the story line along and kept it just fiction enough without tipping over to fantasy. This made the story very easy to relate to the characters and picture the events in my head. Without the distraction of trying to build a world and magic system, we were able to focus on the characters feelings and stay present in the moment.

The relationship between Zadie and Finn was an absolute delight to witness. These sisters could not be more opposite. Finn is forgiving, playful and all around extroverted. As much as I hope to be a Finn in my story, I know I am a Zadie. She is more grounded in this world and her decisions are made from her mind instead of her feelings. Being the oldest child, you could tell that a lot of what Finn was too young to remember, had traumatized Zadie. She can come across as cold, holds onto the past and is quick to distrust someone. I really appreciated being able to watch Zadies character growth and seeing how she overcame her obstacles. I wish the story had a more concrete ending when it came to the two of them. Their relationship almost felt rushed and incomplete.

Overall, I am a very big fan of this story. It is almost like I needed to read this right now. Hard to imagine this is only Langs second novel. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a coming of age story with a sprinkle of magic and wild cast of characters.

I absolutely loved Lang's last book and was so excited to read this one. I will say, this one didn't quite live up to my expectations, but I did enjoy the journey.

The Wilderwomen follows sisters Finn and Zadie as they attempt to find their mom, who disappeared long ago. Finn is convinced something happened to her, while Zadie feels abandoned. Each girl has a sixth sense that helps them along the journey: Finn can feel echoes of others' memories, and Zadie is a psychic.

I appreciate a slow book, but this was a bit slower than I wanted for the storyline. There was a plot, but the storyline itself didn't progress much. They were on a trip, would find a clue, meet some people, and move to the next step.

I liked that the book would go between the previous timeline of the mom's point of view and then back to the present, but the short chapters and constant switching made it less detailed and deep.

I still recommend this book and can't wait to add it to my shelf (just ordered from BOTM!), but it won't top Beasts as my favorite Lang book.

(will post Instagram review upon receipt of my physical copy).

I don’t often read this genre, but I liked the premise about two sisters and a road trip through the southwest United States, so I decided to give it a shot!

The Wilderwomen is an engaging, gentle novel about abandonment, growing up, and the bond between sisters.

I will admit I’m not usually fond of magical realism, but this book was less about the magical aspects than the characters and the setting, so it didn’t make me roll my eyes (as magical realism tends to sometimes-honestly, I just don’t have patience for it for some reason). In this novel, the magical aspects tie greatly into the plot, as the women are following their mom’s trail, so to speak, only able to do so due to their abilities. So, this aspect felt necessary to the story and not just some gimmicky thing to make it different from other women’s fiction.

Yet, I did find the novel had a big “convenience” factor, where just when they hit a dead end in their search, one of them would have a premonition or a memory that would tell them where to go. This wasn’t egregious, and any story with this concept requires some suspension of disbelief so I wouldn't say it took away from my enjoyment.

In terms of the characters, I really liked Finn, but Zadie is a real stick-in-the-mud and her pregnancy arc confused me a bit. If Finn wasn’t there to soften her, I probably wouldn’t have been as into the novel. Rather than a balance, it often felt like their two personalities were competing, but that’s part of the dynamic and it felt realistic (for sisters especially).

The random places they go are interesting and well described, though, again, this is a gentle novel so nothing is overly exciting or traumatic, but it’s still engaging and I wanted to know how the mystery was resolved. The writing style is very lyrical and easy to follow, with good descriptions and realistic dialogue. It was nice to read a novel like this for once, actually.

Now, one thing I wasn’t into was the ending. In truth, I really enjoyed the novel up until the final pages, when the explanation came. The explanation … was not for me. I didn’t really understand how it fit into the magical realism and the resolution seemed very quick and easy. I wasn’t sure how memory loss also fit regarding the answer to the disappearance, and I didn’t understand how the resolution fixed any of the problems. In truth, it felt a bit simplistic and almost negated the growth that was starting to build on behalf of the sisters’ relationship.

But overall, I do recommend this book if you like road trips, sister stories, magical realism, and women’s fiction. It's a nice, easy read.

As with most books I read, I go in blind. I like to just let the story capture me without any preconceived notions as to what should be happening. However, sometimes that back fires and I end up reading a book that is not for me. I love a good fantasy book and appreciate the magic & mystical moments woven into those stories. However, I've learned that magical & mystical in an everyday setting just doesn't work for me.

2.5 rounded up to 3

Do you have a special gift?

Sisters Zadie and Finn both have a special gift. When their mother, Nora goes missing five years earlier; the sisters are reunited and decide that now more than ever they need to search for their mother who walked out on them

Between premonitions and memory flashbacks; the Wilder sister endure a cross country hunt for their missing mother. Miles and miles of hidden secrets, retracing steps and new faces; both Zadie and Finn find strength in their abilities as well as work on their sister relationship.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this novel! .

TLDR:

The Wilderwomen is the latest Fantasy novel by Ruth Emmie Lang. You may remember her 2017 novel and Book of the Month selection, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance.

Summary:

Zadie and Finn were children when their mother disappeared, leaving them to grow up alone in an ordinary world while secretly possessing extraordinary abilities. Reunited after years apart, the Wilder sisters are determined to find out what really happened to their mother all those years ago.

Notable Elements:

Magical Realism
Sisterhood
Dual-Timeline

Like:

Vivid Imagery — It feels like watching a movie rather than reading a book.
Shared Foible — You know those seemingly insignificant, universal moments of the human experience you’ve never been able to put into words? This book has the words.
Gentle Humor — The book isn’t “haha” funny, but rather smile-to-yourself, hide-your-smirk funny. I felt included in inside jokes between characters.

Dislike:

Pacing — This is a slow-burn read.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang! Magical Realism is one of my favorite sub-genres, and the book definitely lived up to my expectations; though, I’m still partial to Lang’s last novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance.

Rating:

4.0/5.0

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC! 3.5 stars!

I had a great time reading this book - although I found the ending a little too convenient compared to the melancholy tone of the rest of the book. My favourite part was the writing and the atmospheric nature descriptions.

The complicated family dynamics were really well done too, with both sisters being very fully fleshed out.

Final note...I was very confused by Finn's...episodes.

A beautiful and heartfelt story of sisterhood. The writing is atmospheric and magical and I immediately connected with Zadie, Finn, and Nora. Told through multiple POVs and jumping back and forth in time, you slowly uncover the events that broke apart the Wilder family and the continued impact on their present day lives. This was a heart wrenching story of family and loss infused with light and magic. I think magical realism might be my new favorite genre. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Zadie and Finn Wilder lost their mother, Nora, when she drove away never to be heard from again. Finn went into foster care and Zadie was allowed to remain independent due to her age. Five years later Zadie sets out to spend the week with her sister when suddenly Finn tells her that she's had an "echo" - what she calls the moments when she can read other people's memories, and that she wants to search for their mother. As the sisters go on a road trip to find their mother, they learn more about each other and discover more about their mother than they could imagine.

This was a bit of a slow burn for me as there were times I felt myself getting distracted while reading. It is a well-told story of sisters trying to reconnect while searching for the person most missing from their life - Nora, their mother. This would be a good book for someone who loves lost family and wants to get lost in an enjoyable book that scours years.

The Wilderwomen is ultimately a story that encompasses a road trip that two sisters, with special abilities, take to find their mother who disappeared five years earlier. It explores grief, guilt, the reestablishment of broken relationships, and the search for acceptance along with connections to nature.

The plot of The Wilderwomen is primarily a meandering road trip filled with very welcoming strangers, bonding, and a bit of mystery. I prefer plot-driven stories over character-driven ones, and I found this book to be more of the latter. I do enjoy character-driven stories when there is a lot of emotion and still substantive plot. Ultimately, I felt like emotion was ultimately lacking.

The mystery of what happened to Nora Wilder prevented me from putting The Wilderwomen down and not picking it up again. However, I was a bit disappointed with the resolution of the mystery and felt like some of the explanation was reaching. It seemed like there was not enough development and explaining previously in the book to make the ending completely believable.

Despite having Lang’s debut novel on my shelf for many years, this is the first book I have read by her. I found that the characters were well-developed and likeable, albeit a bit quirky. The writing in The Wilderwomen alternated between being very metaphorical and very conversational. I thought that Lang did an excellent job creating vivid imagery.

Overall, I enjoyed The Wilderwomen and would recommend it. However, I do not think it will be a story that I remember a few months from now. If you enjoy books about families reconnecting, like taking road trips, and wonder what it would be like to experiences other people’s memories or have premonitions, The Wilderwomen is for you.

Pub date: 11/15/22
Genre: magical realism, books about family
One sentence summary: Sisters Finn and Zadie have magical gifts - can these help them understand why and how their mother disappeared 5 years ago?

This year has been a golden one for magical realism - and I am here for it! I loved getting to know Finn and Zadie and seeing how their abilities affected their lives - Finn can see the memories of others, while Zadie can see the future. Lang did a great job capturing their visions of past and future in the text, giving a mystical feeling to the text.

The plot moved in two timelines - the present where the sisters search for their mom, and the past immediately before her disappearance. These time jumps were a little confusing at the beginning - but everything became clear by the end (which I did not guess!)

I haven't read Lang's BEASTS OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE, but I'm adding it to my TBR after this book!

If you like books about family and/or magic, I think you'll enjoy this one! It reminded me of recent magical realism favorite OTHER BIRDS.

An interesting storyline here. Nora abandoned her two daughters five years ago. Zadie (18) was old enough to be on her own, but Finn (12) went to a foster family. The two girls have been drifting away from each other. The girls both have "gifts" if you can call them that - Zadie is psychic and can see the future; Finn has the ability to pick up people's memories just from being in the place something happened. The girls are reunited at Finn's graduation party and Finn convinces Zadie they need to try to find their Mom. Their journey begins and takes them on twisty journey as they follow clues to their Mom's whereabouts.

The characters were well developed and felt real. The plot moved at a good pace in a conversational manner that drew me along. I was very worried about all these women and wondered throughout if I was reading about mental illness or something paranormal. The people Zadie and Finn met on their journey were fun to read about. I especially enjoyed the time they spent with the "Sixes".

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on November 15, 2022.

A mysterious air that will fit your fall TBR, perfect for fans of Katrina Leno’s Summer of Salt and Adrienne Young’s Spells for Forgetting.

The Wilder family is separated. Finn and Zadie were pulled apart after their mother Nora’s sudden disappearance. The only thing that still connects the daughters now are the traces of magic in their veins and the need to know what happened to Nora. Finn and Zadie embark on a mission to figure out just that. Between Finn’s ability to see memory echoes and Zadie’s premonitions they’re certain they can find some answers… without exposing the secrets they’d rather keep hidden from each other.

Plot: 3.5/5
The mysterious air of this plot really drew me in. The beginning was a bit slow and there seemed to be some awfully big coincidences. But overall the plot structure was solid and there weren’t any noticeable plot holes. Once things picked up, it was really hard to put down.

Characters: 4.5/5
I feel like we see most of the book from Zadie’s perspective, or at least I identified with her most. Both her and Finn are keeping secrets from each other that only get worse the longer they don’t tell each other which adds immensely to their tension.

Both sisters are incredibly well developed in both their backstories and their current struggles. Their dynamic did feel genuinely sister like (no calling each other “sis” or any of that nonsense).

The side characters all had really compelling stories though it did feel like too much of a coincidence that they kept meeting other people with “sixth senses”.

Also I didn’t see a purpose to Joel but he was a goofy character.

Writing: 4/5
Lang’s writing is ripe with imagery and drags you into a totally immersive experience. I had chills and was feeling everything the characters felt. There’s a special skill to writing characters that are slowly losing their mind (in a sense) in a way that doesn’t feel totally predictable but is still believable. You get that “wow how did I not see this building the whole time!” Kind of feeling.

Overall: 4/5

Ruth Emmie Lang does an incredible job of balancing magical realism and mystery in this incredible novel. Two sister try to hunt down their missing mom, while learning more about their "abilities" along the way. They meet some incredible people like them and learn more about each other as they go.

This book is about more than just finding a missing person. It's about finding yourself, reconnecting with family and finding your own place in this world and in the future. The writing is stunning. The clues the sisters are following are out of this world creative. And the dynamic between the family members in this book aren't perfect, but they're ever changing and forgiving.

Not only was this book captivating and incredibly easy to get into, but it was was beautiful as well. I really enjoyed reading this book and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for other books by this author.

This was an interesting book and I did enjoy reading it, though it was a slightly different genre than what I typically read. Zadie and Finn's search for their missing mother was an emotional ride and the ending was a real surprise. The relationship between the two sisters was an exploration of familial bonds and a journey of self-discovery for each of them. The author's writing style was engaging and almost lyrical in the construction of her prose.
I haven't had the pleasure of reading this author before, but I certainly will look to read more of her work in future.