The Wilderness

(Paperback)

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Description

An extraordinary debut novel by a young writer of remarkable gifts **FROM THE AUTHOR OF 2024 BOOKER PRIZE WINNING ORBITAL** It's Jake's birthday. He has lost his wife, his son is in prison and he is about to lose his past. Jake has Alzheimer's. As the disease takes hold of him, the key events of his life shift, and what until recently seemed solid fact melts into surreal imaginings. Is his daughter alive or long dead And why exactly is his son in prison There was a cherry tree once, and a yellow dress, but what do they mean Is there anything he'll be able to salvage from the wreckage From the first sentence to the last, The Wilderness holds us in its grip. This is writing of extraordinary power and beauty.

Reviews

Brave and intelligent...a mesmerising work * Independent *
A stunning composition of human fragility and intensity * Guardian *
An extraordinary dramatisation of a mind in the process of disintegration ... Brilliant - read it now, before it scoops up all the prizes * The Times *
Touches a resounding chord of melancholy. The author, whose debut this is, is very talented * Evening Standard *
This is a finely written ode to memory, identity and love * Financial Times *
a forensic examination of loss and misunderstanding, a paean to the vital force of stories, and an incredibly moving look at a sword of Damocles that hangs over us all -- Tom Webber * Observer *
The imagined experience of dementia is intricately, cleverly woven -- Lucy Atkins * Sunday Times *
A brave, intelligent book -- Emma Lee-Potter * Daily Express *
Harvey uses her precise and unostentatious style to full effect -- Alexander Starritt * Times Literary Supplement *
A treat for literature lovers who appreciate complexity in their novels and aren't afraid to deal with tough topics * Library Journal *

Author Bio

Samantha Harvey is the author of the novels Orbital, The Wilderness, All is Song, Dear Thief and The Western Wind and a work of non-fiction, The Shapeless Unease- A Year of Not Sleeping. Orbital was the winner of the Booker Prize 2024, and her other work has been shortlisted for the James Tait Black Award, the Women's Prize, the Guardian First Book Award and the Walter Scott Prize. The Wilderness was awarded the Betty Trask Prize. She is a tutor on the MA course in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.