The New Wilderness
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- Create Date：2021-07-26 00:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Diane Cook
- ISBN：0861540018
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Summary
A debut novel that explores a mother-daughter relationship in a world ravaged by climate change and overpopulation， a suspenseful second book from the author of the story collection， Man V。 Nature。
Bea’s five-year-old daughter， Agnes， is slowly wasting away。 The smog and pollution of the City—an over-populated， over-built metropolis where most of the population lives—is destroying her lungs。 But what can Bea do？ No one leaves the City anymore， because there is nowhere else to go。 But across the country lies the Wilderness State， the last swath of open， protected land left。 Here forests and desert plains are inhabited solely by wildlife。 People are forbidden。 Until now。
Bea， Agnes， and eighteen others volunteer to live in the Wilderness State as part of a study to see if humans can co-exist with nature。 Can they be part of the wilderness and not destroy it？ Living as nomadic hunter-gatherers， this new community wanders through the grand country， trying to adhere to the strict rules laid down by the Rangers， whose job it is to remind them they must Leave No Trace。 As the group slowly learns to live and survive on the unpredictable and often dangerous land， its members battle for power and control and betray and save each other。 The farther they roam， the closer they come to their animal soul。
To her dismay， Bea discovers that， in fleeing to the Wilderness State to save Agnes， she is losing her in a different way。 Agnes is growing wilder and closer to the land， while Bea cannot shake her urban past。 As she and Agnes grow further apart， the bonds between mother and daughter are tested in surprising and heartbreaking ways。
Yet just as these modern nomads come to think of the Wilderness State as home， its future is threatened when the Government discovers a new use for the land。 Now the migrants must choose to stay and fight for their place in the wilderness， their home， or trust the Rangers and their promises of a better tomorrow elsewhere。
Bea’s five-year-old daughter， Agnes， is slowly wasting away。 The smog and pollution of the City—an over-populated， over-built metropolis where most of the population lives—is destroying her lungs。 But what can Bea do？ No one leaves the City anymore， because there is nowhere else to go。 But across the country lies the Wilderness State， the last swath of open， protected land left。 Here forests and desert plains are inhabited solely by wildlife。 People are forbidden。 Until now。
Bea， Agnes， and eighteen others volunteer to live in the Wilderness State as part of a study to see if humans can co-exist with nature。 Can they be part of the wilderness and not destroy it？ Living as nomadic hunter-gatherers， this new community wanders through the grand country， trying to adhere to the strict rules laid down by the Rangers， whose job it is to remind them they must Leave No Trace。 As the group slowly learns to live and survive on the unpredictable and often dangerous land， its members battle for power and control and betray and save each other。 The farther they roam， the closer they come to their animal soul。
To her dismay， Bea discovers that， in fleeing to the Wilderness State to save Agnes， she is losing her in a different way。 Agnes is growing wilder and closer to the land， while Bea cannot shake her urban past。 As she and Agnes grow further apart， the bonds between mother and daughter are tested in surprising and heartbreaking ways。
Yet just as these modern nomads come to think of the Wilderness State as home， its future is threatened when the Government discovers a new use for the land。 Now the migrants must choose to stay and fight for their place in the wilderness， their home， or trust the Rangers and their promises of a better tomorrow elsewhere。
Reviews
Jean Langley
，
In a world that has become so crowded and polluted it is almost unlivable， there is one wilderness area that has been set aside and preserved。 A group of 20 is selected to live in this new wilderness to test to see if humans can live in nature without destroying it。 They have to find and harvest their own food， remove all trash， avoid staying in one area any length of time， and report on a regular basis to the Rangers who enforce the rules。 The dynamics of the group is a significant part of the In a world that has become so crowded and polluted it is almost unlivable， there is one wilderness area that has been set aside and preserved。 A group of 20 is selected to live in this new wilderness to test to see if humans can live in nature without destroying it。 They have to find and harvest their own food， remove all trash， avoid staying in one area any length of time， and report on a regular basis to the Rangers who enforce the rules。 The dynamics of the group is a significant part of the story， especially that of a mother and daughter， and the mother’s mate。 Challenges include lack of food and water， freezing temperatures， accidents that reduce their number， and unexpected encounters with other humans。 。。。more
Amy
，
3。5🌟
Julie Wilpon
，
Way too long。 Disappointed 。
Jessica Fontaine
，
While I can understand the commentary on the climate crisis， pollution， overpopulation， and human nature - this book falls SO flat。 The plot is non-existent and it feels laborious to read - I actually skipped ahead to see if it started to GO somewhere - but alas it did not。 I abandoned this around the 240-page mark。 There are too many other good books that explore near-future dystopian and human nature
Michelle
，
This was actually pretty good。 I got very involved in the story; the ending seemed a little hard for me to take。 I wanted *something* to happen with some closure。 But， I guess， that the strong vibes I got about how this was so much like what happened to Native Americans in the 1800s consoled me a little--we never got closure for any of that either。 Anyway， I did enjoy this。
Caitlin
，
I would give this book a 3。5 or 3。75 but I just can't give it a four。 Some parts were so good and shone such a light on human interaction， particularly the relationship between mothers and daughters。 But I felt like too much of what happened was observed and never explained。 I wanted to hear more about Bea's choices， instead of seeing everything from Agnes' perspective and constantly being told， "you don't understand your mother。" It made me irritated and frustrated with Bea's character， which I I would give this book a 3。5 or 3。75 but I just can't give it a four。 Some parts were so good and shone such a light on human interaction， particularly the relationship between mothers and daughters。 But I felt like too much of what happened was observed and never explained。 I wanted to hear more about Bea's choices， instead of seeing everything from Agnes' perspective and constantly being told， "you don't understand your mother。" It made me irritated and frustrated with Bea's character， which I know was partly the point。 But whereas Agnes became fully revealed after the first part of the book - Bea's Ballad， the part from Bea's perspective - Bea never became fully revealed and I found that irritating。 I thought it could have been a lot more balanced and that would have made for a better book。 。。。more
Cath Ennis
，
This is a hard book to rate because the good parts were excellent， but overall if just felt very slow and draggy。
Eileen
，
I found this to be an interesting concept and I enjoyed it！
Richard Parfitt
，
The New Wilderness is a fantastic book with a gripping concept and engrossing characters。 The story is set an undefined number of years in the future， with the Earth reduced to a fairly standard dystopia。 'The city'， where most people live， is polluted， overcrowded and oppressive。 Its geographic reach isn't defined， but what we do know is that there is only one reserve for nature left， the wilderness。Bea， her daughter Agnes and her husband Glen， have volunteered to take part in an experiment to The New Wilderness is a fantastic book with a gripping concept and engrossing characters。 The story is set an undefined number of years in the future， with the Earth reduced to a fairly standard dystopia。 'The city'， where most people live， is polluted， overcrowded and oppressive。 Its geographic reach isn't defined， but what we do know is that there is only one reserve for nature left， the wilderness。Bea， her daughter Agnes and her husband Glen， have volunteered to take part in an experiment to find out whether humans can live harmoniously with nature in the wilderness as a small nomadic society。 While Agnes recovers he health in the cleaner air away from the city， power struggles develop which play out across the book。 One could be forgiven for thinking often of the Lord of the Flies， but that should not detract from the originality and complexity of the book。In truth， this is not a dystopian novel。 The world of the city is rightly not developed and the cause sof mankind's failure not elaborated upon。 This is a story about parenthood and the primal need to survive。 By denying us the kind of world building that we expect from a novel set at the end of humanity's hubristic existence， Cook forces us page by page into a complete genuine fear for Bea and especially for Agnes。 By the end， the utopia that Agnes finds in the wilderness is all the reader cares about。 。。。more
Stacey Falls
，
brutal， beautiful， painful， and deeply moving:There was a point where I was reading this book （where they are tracking Adam。 I won't say anything else so as not to give any spoilers） when I cried and cried。 I cried for what was happening in the story， but then， after I closed the book and tried to go to sleep， I continued crying。 I cried for my mother and my father， both of whom live all the way across the country， and then I cried for my partner who was lying in bed asleep next to me。 It was am brutal， beautiful， painful， and deeply moving:There was a point where I was reading this book （where they are tracking Adam。 I won't say anything else so as not to give any spoilers） when I cried and cried。 I cried for what was happening in the story， but then， after I closed the book and tried to go to sleep， I continued crying。 I cried for my mother and my father， both of whom live all the way across the country， and then I cried for my partner who was lying in bed asleep next to me。 It was amazing how this book made me desperately nostalgic for the people in my life I love， even those whom I haven't lost。There were times I simply did not understand the characters' motivations and what drove them。 At times I wanted to be privy to their private thoughts or whispered conversations， but none of that changes the feeling of the book， the brilliantly rendered atmosphere。 。。。more
Ebirdy
，
Why was this short-listed for the Booker？Read the hater reviews - they will sum up all the issues with this book far better than I can。At least it was a library book so I was only out my time， not my hard-earned money。
Kelsey Widman
，
the writing was great but the premise really bothered me--it felt like the author simultaneously borrowed from and rejected indigenous traditions and histories。 she certainly did a lot of research into "survival skills，" but it didn't seem like she ever actually questioned the framework she was operating in with regards to "human nature，" "wilderness，" human relationship to "wilderness，" etc。also I often find it grating to read adult books written from the perspective of children。 tonally there' the writing was great but the premise really bothered me--it felt like the author simultaneously borrowed from and rejected indigenous traditions and histories。 she certainly did a lot of research into "survival skills，" but it didn't seem like she ever actually questioned the framework she was operating in with regards to "human nature，" "wilderness，" human relationship to "wilderness，" etc。also I often find it grating to read adult books written from the perspective of children。 tonally there's always something off idk！ 。。。more
Allison
，
When I first started this book I thought I was going to love it。 Bea was such an interesting and complex character （cursed with the dreaded 'unlikeable woman' label from a lot of reviewers） to follow and the set-up of a group of people setting up rules for their own society in the wilderness was ripe for explorations of interpersonal conflict and contention。 Unfortunately what we got after about 30% into this book is the coming-of-age story of a girl in the wild。 Which I think I even might have When I first started this book I thought I was going to love it。 Bea was such an interesting and complex character （cursed with the dreaded 'unlikeable woman' label from a lot of reviewers） to follow and the set-up of a group of people setting up rules for their own society in the wilderness was ripe for explorations of interpersonal conflict and contention。 Unfortunately what we got after about 30% into this book is the coming-of-age story of a girl in the wild。 Which I think I even might have been OK with if we could have kept Bea's perspective and had alternating viewpoints， but unfortunately it was all Agnes and frankly all downhill。 This really never got as dark as I expected as far as conflicts with the community leadership （again because we were stuck with Agnes who really didn't understand what was going on with the adults for a lot of the narrative） so that seems like a real missed opportunity。 。。。more
Tara Bush
，
The story grabbed my attention and I always felt compelled to keep reading so I could figure out exactly what was going on。 It was an interesting premise， but I was disappointed when I reached the end and realized that most of my questions were going to be left unanswered。 There seemed to only be The City and The Wilderness State。。。 did all of the US （assuming this was the US） become one big city or did much of the land become uninhabitable？ What exactly were they trying to do with the Wildernes The story grabbed my attention and I always felt compelled to keep reading so I could figure out exactly what was going on。 It was an interesting premise， but I was disappointed when I reached the end and realized that most of my questions were going to be left unanswered。 There seemed to only be The City and The Wilderness State。。。 did all of the US （assuming this was the US） become one big city or did much of the land become uninhabitable？ What exactly were they trying to do with the Wilderness State in the first place？ Why did the rangers hate The Community so much？ It would have been nice to better understand why Bea did some of the things that she did。 The dystopia aspect of this book could have been very interesting， but most of the focus was on the relationship of mother and daughter， which was a tad boring and didn't have a very satisfying end。 。。。more
Tim Chandler
，
The setting was the only thing to redeem this tbh
Marissa
，
The intensity of the relationship between Bea and Agnes is disconcerting as it is revealed in all of its animal nature。 Bea's survival drive and Agnes inherent understanding of her natural world combine to make a very unique story。 While Agnes cannot understand her mother， it is clear as she makes a life with her adopted daughter Fern that she is driven by the same intensity of motherhood。 This novel raises questions of what is the natural relationship between mother and child。 The prose mimics The intensity of the relationship between Bea and Agnes is disconcerting as it is revealed in all of its animal nature。 Bea's survival drive and Agnes inherent understanding of her natural world combine to make a very unique story。 While Agnes cannot understand her mother， it is clear as she makes a life with her adopted daughter Fern that she is driven by the same intensity of motherhood。 This novel raises questions of what is the natural relationship between mother and child。 The prose mimics the hard natural world they inhabit in this dystopian future。 I found it transporting。 。。。more
thebookishlawyer
，
The Wilderness by Diane Cook， is a true dark and dystopian sci-fi。 This story of survival was so twisted at times， that it was hard to keep up。 Bea's struggling to survive with her 5 year old daughter Agnes in The Wilderness。 They have to survive the apocalyptic environmental conditions of the area， a nightmarish place where an academic study is being conducted to deduce the strength and sustainability of humans when the environment turns on them。 The world in this book is haphazardly built， whe The Wilderness by Diane Cook， is a true dark and dystopian sci-fi。 This story of survival was so twisted at times， that it was hard to keep up。 Bea's struggling to survive with her 5 year old daughter Agnes in The Wilderness。 They have to survive the apocalyptic environmental conditions of the area， a nightmarish place where an academic study is being conducted to deduce the strength and sustainability of humans when the environment turns on them。 The world in this book is haphazardly built， where I couldn't find answers to most of the questions I had in mind。 The research subjects had volunteered for thus study， Bea being one of them， and the most surprising fact is the people in the wilderness can escape the wilderness by calling a taxi to the city！ They can also receive mail from their family living outside and Rangers are stationed there to enforce the code of conduct （quite brutally）。 At first the world in this book seemed similar to the world in the hunger games books， but the storyline seemed scattered and didn't make sense as it went on。 I should give you all a ton of trigger warnings for this one too， right from the first chapter。 In my opinion this book was meant to be confusing and abstract， but I would have loved a better defined world and the storyline。 @thebookishlawyer （IG） 。。。more
Adam
，
A quick summer read full of annoying tropes about nature， and human nature。 Has a brisk story that is intriguing， and props to the author for introducing complicated relationships between the main characters， a mother and a daughter。 But， so much of the story is underdeveloped and hard to parse the meaning behind the premise - a band of folks from the City （described as an urban hellhole where kids are dying of pollution） are living in a wilderness that is managed by Rangers。 They are part of a A quick summer read full of annoying tropes about nature， and human nature。 Has a brisk story that is intriguing， and props to the author for introducing complicated relationships between the main characters， a mother and a daughter。 But， so much of the story is underdeveloped and hard to parse the meaning behind the premise - a band of folks from the City （described as an urban hellhole where kids are dying of pollution） are living in a wilderness that is managed by Rangers。 They are part of a study。 The Rangers are mean and manipulative。 But its incredibly unclear why the band is sent there in the first place - I guess the study？ - and why the Rangers are so cruel。 Other people start entering the wilderness， to escape the urban hellhole， and the Rangers round them up and send them back to the city。 There are tiny whispers of political inequities and power struggles， but its not possible to connect the dots and know what is motivating any of the bad actors。 I guess they are just bad。 Also the reliance on stereotypes about human nature make it quite cliche in some parts; there's a lot of "survival of the fittest" stuff that runs counter to the actual story， and its hard to tell if that's the author critiquing that take or using it; either way， it confusing， so she's failed in that effort。 There is a land acknowledgement - at the end of the book。 Feels really trite， when throughout the book there is no acknowledgement of race or history whatsoever。 Overall， its just sort of lazy and feels like much is appropriated， not explored or honored。 Easy read by the beach， but just don't think too hard about it。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Really enjoyed this and found it beautiful and thought-provoking。 Found some of the plot points strange and distracting。 As a meditation on parent-child relationships and on human’s impact on their environments， it is wonderful。 The pseudo-post-apocalyptic environment was too confusing and convoluted in some ways， though。
Jrubino
，
For all the excellent writing， this novel plods along at a snail’s pace。 In addition， the plot simply makes no sense: In a society where mega-cities are nearly unlivable for millions， what difference does it make for 20 people to isolate themselves in a nature reserve？ Halfway through and I grew tired of waiting for some momentum。 I don’t need constant action， but this novel is merely the same internal monologue over and over。
Elinor
，
This was interesting to read while backpacking。 In a kind of scary way。 It was sad， beautiful and thought provoking。
Jade
，
The most un-booker booker book I've read。 Read for the Olympic Games Readathon。 Team Hades: Prompt - Hades does not often interact with other Olympians。 Read a stand alone。 The most un-booker booker book I've read。 Read for the Olympic Games Readathon。 Team Hades: Prompt - Hades does not often interact with other Olympians。 Read a stand alone。 。。。more
Zoe Jackson
，
Book 27: A Book Set Entirely or Mostly OutdoorsThis book is a good idea with horrible execution in a nutshell。 I enjoy survival stories and this had the potential to be a good one。 Unfortunately a mix of horrible pacing and all unlikeable characters made it a dud。 It was also about 300 pages too long。 I’d recommend skipping it。
C
，
I have been looking forward to this one - the first novel of Diane Cook。。。 right at the top of my most anticipated mountain in a year of book releases！ I love the concept here， which somehow has never existed in another novel that I'm aware of yet - there is very little wilderness remaining in this overcrowded dystopia。 All of the land is for manufacturing， garbage， or something involving humans。 Things are grim， cities are terrible， children are getting sick， and the main character Bea takes I have been looking forward to this one - the first novel of Diane Cook。。。 right at the top of my most anticipated mountain in a year of book releases！ I love the concept here， which somehow has never existed in another novel that I'm aware of yet - there is very little wilderness remaining in this overcrowded dystopia。 All of the land is for manufacturing， garbage， or something involving humans。 Things are grim， cities are terrible， children are getting sick， and the main character Bea takes her sick daughter Agnes to the last of the wilderness to get some fresh air （or the freshest it can possibly be anyway）。 The initial group of twenty people in the experiment are loosely overseen by the Rangers。 For some reason， I wasn't expecting a group， I was expecting a mother and daughter in the woods。 I was also expecting man vs。 nature （which hilariously， I then realized is the very name of Cook's first book）。 But there is a whole lotta man vs。 man here， despite this wilderness still being very full of animals somehow， when these animals have such a small space to live in。 Of course， in an overcrowded world， it's the people that are the problem。 But the writer isn't writing to my expectations and I liked the book well enough。 Bea is a real mom - flaws and all from page one。 Not a martyr， not a saint， which is a great way to avoid writing a mom。 The book starts with Bea kicking a coyote， which。。。 can you even do that？ Little tricks of the plot make the book great to me。 My only complaint would be the many dramatics within the group， but I'm sure that is a problem with me as a reader。 （I like solitude+forest living sort of books！） If I had to place this book on a shelf next to others， it would fit right in with MANY of T。C。 Boyle's books （The Terranauts， East Is East， A Friend of the Earth and Drop City and The Tortilla Curtain from what I have read） -- both for Boyle's love of nature and also for his love of putting his characters through the ringer。 。。。more
Becs Jeffery
，
My 30 word review: A desperate family begin a dangerous life surviving in the remaining wilderness of a dystopian America。 I loved the stripped-back insight into the inner-wildness of humans and the complex mother-daughter relationship。
Leslie Portu
，
An intriguing premise。 Unfortunately the potential magic is hampered by excessive & repetitive focus on family dynamics。 A disappointment。
Marcia
，
Mesmerizing and sad。 Lovely。
Jamie Park
，
This is the exact book I was craving all year。 It felt so real and so raw。
Em Egan
，
Reading the reviews made me not want to read this book but I did and I am thrilled that I did！ What a read！This book tells the story of a group of people from a polluted city who are participants in an experiment in the "wilderness zone"。 The action mainly follows Bea and her daughter Agnes， the latter of whom has been in the wilderness since the age of four。 It's told from the third person but with Bea acting as the narrator through this third person at the start of the book， and Agnes as the b Reading the reviews made me not want to read this book but I did and I am thrilled that I did！ What a read！This book tells the story of a group of people from a polluted city who are participants in an experiment in the "wilderness zone"。 The action mainly follows Bea and her daughter Agnes， the latter of whom has been in the wilderness since the age of four。 It's told from the third person but with Bea acting as the narrator through this third person at the start of the book， and Agnes as the book progresses。 I really enjoyed this book - it's definitely one I will go back to。 Very thought provoking。 Important。 。。。more
Tasha-Lynn
，
DNF
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The New Wilderness
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The New Wilderness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The New Wilderness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0