Fiction

Wild Abandon

Wild Abandon

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  • Create Date：2021-12-12 04:51:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Emily Bitto
  • ISBN：1760879134
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Summary

A breathtaking new novel from the Stella Prize-winning author of The Strays。

In spring of 2011， a young Australian man travels to the USA。

It is a quest of sorts， a quest as old as narrative itself: a young man striking out from home in search of experience and culture， which he associates with that talismanic word， America。

Beginning in the excessive， uncanny-familiar glamour and plenitude of New York City， Will crashes with expat chef and former nemesis Paul， and his girlfriend Justine， a rising star in the art scene。 From here， he embarks on a doomed road trip into the American heartland， where he meets Wayne Gage。 This charismatic， fast-living and deeply damaged Vietnam veteran， collector of exotic animals and would-be spirit guide， draws Will towards the dark conclusion of his journey。

Wild Abandon is a headlong tumble through the falling world of end-days capitalism， a haunting， hyperreal snapshot of our own strange times and what it means to be a tourist， or indeed a human， within them。

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Reviews

Larry D'librarian ，

This is one of the most powerful and intense books I have ever read。Stunning plot and bravura writingWill runs to the US after his girlfriend breaks up with him。 After a week of debauchery in New York a chance encounter finds him agreeing to live a month with Wayne and help him out with his collection of exotic animals on a farm in nowhereville Ohio。 This is an emotional roller coaster and I was wrung dry by the denouement

Cara ，

Tiger King in book form！ A bit disjointed - the two halves were so different。

Junel Katuin ，

Really enjoyed this book。 It gave me The House of Sleep vibes （a book by Jonathan Coe）， not sure why， but would def recommend！！

Laurie Duncan ，

An adventureFor someone who reads a lot， but rarely reads fiction this was quite an adventure。 It is a stunning story that， in the early stages， could be about my early life - growing up in rural Victoria。 moving to Melbourne， suffering rejection and relocating to the US。 While I didn’t relate to the main characters “adventures” in his first week in NY it was his connection to the exotic animals in a township not unlike where he， and I， grew up， that really saw me connect with the main character An adventureFor someone who reads a lot， but rarely reads fiction this was quite an adventure。 It is a stunning story that， in the early stages， could be about my early life - growing up in rural Victoria。 moving to Melbourne， suffering rejection and relocating to the US。 While I didn’t relate to the main characters “adventures” in his first week in NY it was his connection to the exotic animals in a township not unlike where he， and I， grew up， that really saw me connect with the main characters in this story。 It is a beautifully written story - not so many characters that the reader has to go back to check who is who。 I need to read more fiction if this is a good example of the genre 。。。more

Eliot ，

You could be forgiven for thinking the author got halfway through the novel and decided they wanted to write about something else but there was some sort of sunk cost fallacy at play。 I personally don't mind the Brent Easton Ellis "Less Than Zero" page after page of vapid cocaine induced debauchery but I could see how that would turn most of the readers off。 After getting a sizeable chunk through this book I couldn't help to pause and question "wait， has anything of significance actually happene You could be forgiven for thinking the author got halfway through the novel and decided they wanted to write about something else but there was some sort of sunk cost fallacy at play。 I personally don't mind the Brent Easton Ellis "Less Than Zero" page after page of vapid cocaine induced debauchery but I could see how that would turn most of the readers off。 After getting a sizeable chunk through this book I couldn't help to pause and question "wait， has anything of significance actually happened？" The readers that stuck around were treated to a warm， sincere and heartfelt novel that absolutely rewarded their perseverance。 On face value Will comes across as a very dull and bland almost opinionless main character。 However as you get to know the warm and charming cast of characters that make up the second half of this novel you can't help but warm to Will as you see his world view and personality shaped and and influenced by this eclectic selection of "background characters" in the long ongoing journey of his life to the point where you blink and suddenly feel the same aches and pains and mental developments as our young often gormless protagonist。 There is some beautiful prose and some humorous incites into human beings relationships with comfort， materialism and even our losing fight against time。 Despite a pedestrian start over 400 pages this book took a fantastic turn into a very engrossing tale that really left me both intrigued and enthused。 Overall Wild Abandon is a novel far better than the sum of it's parts。 。。。more

Katrina ，

3。5 started well ， finished flat

Nat ，

Abandoned page 86Didn't enjoy the writing Abandoned page 86Didn't enjoy the writing 。。。more

Mookait ，

I wanted to like this more but the sentences of 100+ words made the prose dense and impenetrable at times。 I also had difficulty with the Will， the main character。 While other characters were easier to relate to， It was difficult to imagine or relate to， or even imagine， Will himself。

Manon Pietra ，

I loved The Strays and really enjoyed Wild Abandon。 Emily Bitto is a phenomenal writer。 Although her writing is at times overdone， some passages are exceptional and stay with me as precious - like the way she describes Will observing the NY girl gangs’ dynamic or his relationship to his small town complex。 The way she is able to capture her characters motives and relationship to the world around them is wonderful and I can’t wait to read what she writes next。

Phil ，

A lot I liked and a lot I struggled with so parking it with a 3-star while I think it through！！！ Looking at other reviews， I do find it interesting that many people say unlikeable characters = bad book， exposing them for what they are is surely the writer’s craft？ And I may be on a different warp factor because I found the first half more interesting。 :）

Allyt_hobart ，

High expectationsUnmet I loved the Strays but this lead character was shallow and uninteresting， the narrative about the “zoo” is full of trauma and it’s written in a way that made it difficult to engage with （looking up definitions on every page initially）。

Margaret ，

Not too keen with the story at the beginning but the quality of the writing kept me there。 The writing around the “Wayne” character and his need to keep wild animals in cages， is astonishing。 It is gut-wrenching and unforgettable。

Sam ，

Clever， insightful， pacy。 Bitto really nails the outsider trope here， and she writes so well about the business of being human with all its frailty and ambiguity。 Will is hard to love and in many ways completely relatable and it’s this push-pull emotional reaction that drives the reading experience。 It gets messy and violent and there are lots of people behaving badly。 The contrast of the narcissistic party crowd in New York with the small town ordinary people in Ohio is really shifts the story Clever， insightful， pacy。 Bitto really nails the outsider trope here， and she writes so well about the business of being human with all its frailty and ambiguity。 Will is hard to love and in many ways completely relatable and it’s this push-pull emotional reaction that drives the reading experience。 It gets messy and violent and there are lots of people behaving badly。 The contrast of the narcissistic party crowd in New York with the small town ordinary people in Ohio is really shifts the story along and the surreal world of exotic pets is another thing altogether。 。。。more

Leah Cripps ，

4。5 stars。 Another great listen as read by Lawrence Fitzgerald。 Emily Bitto is getting close to being my favourite Australian Female author， I really enjoyed this and was blown away by how good her first book The Strays was。 4。5 stars

Janelle ，

The second section of this novel is so much better than the first。 Inspired by a real event it’s an intense read which makes the superficiality of the first part even more apparent。 The main character， Will is a young Australian who has fled overseas after a bad breakup。 A bit naive， and annoyingly full of self pity he’s arrived in New York （on the 10th anniversary of September 11） and is crashing on the sofa of Paul， a friend of his older brother。 This section is full of drugs， alcohol， parties The second section of this novel is so much better than the first。 Inspired by a real event it’s an intense read which makes the superficiality of the first part even more apparent。 The main character， Will is a young Australian who has fled overseas after a bad breakup。 A bit naive， and annoyingly full of self pity he’s arrived in New York （on the 10th anniversary of September 11） and is crashing on the sofa of Paul， a friend of his older brother。 This section is full of drugs， alcohol， parties etc and Will thinks he’s seeing ‘America’。 The story then moves to Littleproud， Ohio where a girl from Wills hometown is now living。 He gets a job with Wayne， a Vietnam veteran， helping to feed and look after his collection of exotic animals， including lions， tigers， bears and more。 I found it hard to put the book down as a Will becomes more aware of Wayne’s situation。 It’s hard to believe that it can be legal for a man to own all these wild beasts。 If they were in a zoo there’d be so many more people working to look after them。 Wayne also has a cellar full of guns and other prepper stuuf， of course。 A compelling and powerful read。 。。。more

Susie Anderson ，

The hipster critique and 2011 NY setting initially gripped me but there were some fizzled moments。 Unfortunate that this came out in a post-Tiger King。 But I thought the passages of musing by the misanthropic twenty something were really spot on and delivered super well by the reader of the audiobook。 I understand they may come off long winded in text form but for me they perfectly underscored the fish out of water feelings， trying to fit into the city after a rural upbringing。 I also felt Wayne The hipster critique and 2011 NY setting initially gripped me but there were some fizzled moments。 Unfortunate that this came out in a post-Tiger King。 But I thought the passages of musing by the misanthropic twenty something were really spot on and delivered super well by the reader of the audiobook。 I understand they may come off long winded in text form but for me they perfectly underscored the fish out of water feelings， trying to fit into the city after a rural upbringing。 I also felt Wayne's link to Vietnam war was a lovely gentle undercurrent that quietly offered resolution without being too cliche。 。。。more

Melanie ，

The protagonist gets shocked out of his self-absorbed navel gazing by some sad and horrible events in this compelling story。 The writing is amazing although verging on overblown in places。

Ms Warner ，

I struggled with this- felt it was as self-indulgent as its protagonist。

Belinda Badman ，

I really had to force myself to finish this， and only did so because I had read a review of the Coda section which enthused about the ability of the author to completely occupy the headspace of a 20something year old American helicopter gunner in Vietnam。 I really didn’t enjoy it。 It was over-written to the point where it just felt like the author was showing off with how many obscure words she could squeeze into a single sentence。 The protagonist Will was self absorbed and boring - actually tha I really had to force myself to finish this， and only did so because I had read a review of the Coda section which enthused about the ability of the author to completely occupy the headspace of a 20something year old American helicopter gunner in Vietnam。 I really didn’t enjoy it。 It was over-written to the point where it just felt like the author was showing off with how many obscure words she could squeeze into a single sentence。 The protagonist Will was self absorbed and boring - actually that bit was realistic， but I’m not interested in reading about 20 something year old boys on their first overseas trip。 It felt like 2 separate stories with， other than the main character， no links at all between parts 1 and 2。 As for part 2 being based on real events， I have subsequently read some articles about these events myself， and it seems as though the author hasn’t “been inspired” by this， so much as copied it entirely。 She states the characters are fictional， but the descriptions of Wayne are almost identical to that of the man at the centre of the real life event。 。。。more

Jen Lancaster ，

Emily Britto uses language beautifully to create images and feeling in the reader’s mind。 This story is a tale of two halves。

Caren ，

（DNF）Similar to another reviewer， I also got close to page 100 and stopped。 As a conscientious reader， this decision took effort。 I did not connect with any of the characters， finding them unlikeable and empty of purpose。 Their heavy drinking and indulgent taking of recreational drugs turned me off。 I had looked forward to a journey across America， but if NYC was the example for the rest of the visits for the Australian Paul， I decided to save myself the frustration and time。 As well as the disc （DNF）Similar to another reviewer， I also got close to page 100 and stopped。 As a conscientious reader， this decision took effort。 I did not connect with any of the characters， finding them unlikeable and empty of purpose。 Their heavy drinking and indulgent taking of recreational drugs turned me off。 I had looked forward to a journey across America， but if NYC was the example for the rest of the visits for the Australian Paul， I decided to save myself the frustration and time。 As well as the disconnect with the cast of characters。 I found the narrative overwritten。 Disappointing。 。。。more

Vivian ，

Long and laborious， written in the American style of long meandering sentences where the style is more important than the substance。 Thick on imagery， overly descriptive and wordy。 Part 1， young Australian male goes to NY gets drunk and takes lots of drugs。 Part 2 he meets an odd American， disaster eventuates。 Over hyped and ultimately disappointing。

Anna ，

A very simple plot with immature characters。 Not a fan。

Theresa Smith ，

I have a habit of reading the author notes at the end of a book first。 More often than not， this will prove spoilerish， with the author referencing something to do with the story that is not disclosed in the blurb。 I don’t mind that though， because on several occasions now， reading something in the author note and knowing that ‘this thing’ is still to come， has actually kept me from abandoning a book。 That was very much the case here， with Wild Abandon。 I really did not get along with this book I have a habit of reading the author notes at the end of a book first。 More often than not， this will prove spoilerish， with the author referencing something to do with the story that is not disclosed in the blurb。 I don’t mind that though， because on several occasions now， reading something in the author note and knowing that ‘this thing’ is still to come， has actually kept me from abandoning a book。 That was very much the case here， with Wild Abandon。 I really did not get along with this book at the start。 In fact， I completely disliked the entire first section that plays out in New York。 Will was entirely unimpressive as a character and the constant drug taking and drinking interspersed with intoxicated ramblings of introspection punctuated by random and regretful sexual encounters was slightly repulsive and indeed， a little bit boring。 The ‘cocaine set’ that Will got caught up in were just a bunch of self-important tossers， calling themselves artists and personal stylists and getting paid an exorbitant amount to do so whilst demonstrating no measurable talent whatsoever。 The truth of these people existing within this microcosm of New York is the truly sad part as their representation of it as a place to be is not doing New York any favours。 I’d prefer the sanitised version of New York I get from Friends。 If I hadn’t read the author note， I most likely would have abandoned the book before the end of that section and missed out on a quite incredible story。“He wondered whether Wayne’s act of hospitality was frequent and habitual and indiscriminate or long held in store for just such a figure of young and desperate searching as himself， a fertile anonymous outline on which to project the image of the younger self or son or double still able to receive and act upon the future man’s impassioned impotent and soon-to-be-familiar advice。 But hadn’t he vowed， after all， to say yes to everything？ To the world？ Well， this was what the world was offering: wild animals; the depths and secrets of small-town America; housing and employment with a random， quite likely troubled and possibly even dangerous ageing veteran， creator of his own rogue Midwestern Xanadu and dispenser of philosophy， of what utility to his own vague cause Will was not yet sure。”It wasn’t until recently that I became aware that American’s can still own exotic animals。 I honestly thought （hoped） this was a thing of the past。 From the moment that Wayne enters this story， I had a feeling， deep down， that everything I despise about people owning wild animals as pets was going to be realised。 It came as no surprise to me that Will and Wayne bonded on some level。 Both were incredibly self-absorbed men， both disillusioned about their own grandiosity and unwilling to recognise themselves as masters of their own fate。 That Will learned nothing， gained nothing， and achieved nothing on his quest to find himself on an American road trip also came as no surprise。 He was utterly paralysed by low self-esteem to the point where it had blinded him and manifested itself into some sort of judgment upon others， as though they were the reason he felt the way he did in any given situation。 Wayne’s situation put me in mind of David Koresh （the Waco siege）， a man full of his own grand plans， the Messiah of his own kingdom， the anti-government vibe he gave off along with being on the FBI’s radar for his weapons cache – all very much the same。 The utter devastation of what played out was horrendous and deeply affecting。 The wrongness of it all was so very apparent and I found myself angry at Wayne， angry at those who knew him but didn’t see him for the ticking time bomb he really was， angry at the police for acting in such a cataclysmic and poorly thought out way， and angry at the human collateral damage that comes from war， the people left with PTSD for decades until something finally gives and we all feign shock over it and claim that we never saw it coming because he was ‘such a good guy’。“For now， he chiefly felt an overwhelming sense of all that he had failed to learn and do on this short aborted quest。 At helping Wayne， he had failed。 At staying ninety days， he had failed。 At forgetting Laura， he had failed。 At the gaining of self-knowledge of the kind to make a man of him， he had miserably failed。” Wild Abandon is a complex novel that generated complex feelings within me whilst reading。 It is written in a flamboyantly literary style that occasionally bordered on being overwritten， but for the most part was also beautifully poetic and deeply meaningful。 It is narrated by a third person omniscient narrator that occasionally breaks through the fourth wall and gives an indication to the reader of what lies ahead for our protagonist， not just within the story itself， but also much further down the track beyond the narrative， almost like a crystal ball giving us a glimpse into the future。 I’ve always loved this sort of narration and Emily Bitto is definitely an expert at it。 Once I’d finished the novel， I could see the entirety of it and the place within Will’s journey that the New York section accomplished。 For me， Wild Abandon was about something momentous happening， yet in the end， it being all for nothing。 I feel that’s what Emily has achieved for both Will and Wayne。 Will’s journey was a failure， Wayne’s Wild Kingdom， likewise， was a failure。 In this， Wild Abandon resists the cliched narrative arc where our protagonist（s） journeys through adversity to arrive on the other side triumphant in redemption。 Instead， we have two men， one at the end of his adult life， and one at the beginning， but both connected by a propensity for lying and an inability to accept their own fallibility。 Wild Abandon was a compulsive read for me。 Once Will hit Ohio， I couldn’t put it down。 Deeply moving， tragic， and affecting。“And then at once he was alone， in the wreck of an extravagant and hopeful ruined dream， standing in the doorway of a dead man’s house， somewhere in America。”Thanks to the publisher for the review copy。 。。。more

Ben KR ，

I couldn't put this book down。 Such gorgeous writing！ I couldn't put this book down。 Such gorgeous writing！ 。。。more

George ，

3。5 stars。 An engaging， sad， memorable novel about 22 year old Will。 Will decides to fly to New York City from Australia for a ninety day stay in the USA in 2011。 He is distraught that his relationship with Laura has ended and he decides a month later to leave Australia for three months to forget about Laura。 The first part of the book is about his time in New York City。 The second part of the book is about a private zoo that Will works at with an ex USA soldier named Wayne， who was engaged as a 3。5 stars。 An engaging， sad， memorable novel about 22 year old Will。 Will decides to fly to New York City from Australia for a ninety day stay in the USA in 2011。 He is distraught that his relationship with Laura has ended and he decides a month later to leave Australia for three months to forget about Laura。 The first part of the book is about his time in New York City。 The second part of the book is about a private zoo that Will works at with an ex USA soldier named Wayne， who was engaged as a pilot during the Vietnam War。 Wayne’s wife has recently left him。 Wayne is likely to go to jail for possibly one year due to selling firearms that were not registered。 Will and Wayne are unpleasant characters， with psychological problems。This book was first published in 2021。 。。。more

Craig / Phil ，

Thank you Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review。Heart broken Will capitalises on cheap flights to New York to fulfil an American road trip and distract the commiserations of a break up。 Men can be described as Islands and Will’s journey highlights the emotional， volatile and mental state of the male species coupled with the bravado and loyalty he displayed。Landing in New York， the city that doesn’t sleep he immersed himself into a partying and drug induced scene。 Reacquainting w Thank you Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review。Heart broken Will capitalises on cheap flights to New York to fulfil an American road trip and distract the commiserations of a break up。 Men can be described as Islands and Will’s journey highlights the emotional， volatile and mental state of the male species coupled with the bravado and loyalty he displayed。Landing in New York， the city that doesn’t sleep he immersed himself into a partying and drug induced scene。 Reacquainting with a mate that has his own unlocked issues。 An incident witnessed combined with own fragile state of mind he takes off to sleepy back water in Ohio where another school friend was living。Life and it’s pace the polar opposite to New York he begins to find himself as he settles in。 Offered a job by an exotic animal collector and Vietnam veteran Wayne Gage he finds an affiliation with the large cats and monkeys。 This solace helping him to find himself and understand a little about Wayne and his issues。Like lightening bolts life changes in a flash after returning from an errand。 The most horrendous situation unfolds and reveals the tender and vulnerable side of Will as he grapples with the aftermath。This cleverly written read is remarkable in the way it creates and nurtures the male lead。 It offers raw， confronting and authentic scenes that play out in the readers head clear as day。 I was grateful the climatic and very sad end was only a work of fiction until I read the authors note。 I was taken on an unforgettable journey。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I’m sorry to admit this because I was really looking forward to a new novel by Emily Bitto and I really admired The Strays…But…I just did not get on with Wild Abandon。 I read up to page 100， wondering why I’d got to page 86 and the art show before there was anything of any interest to me and then the novel reverted to vacuous drinking and drug taking activities。 I’ve read an interview with Bitto so I understand that she makes her living by selling cocktails and is probably very familiar with thi I’m sorry to admit this because I was really looking forward to a new novel by Emily Bitto and I really admired The Strays…But…I just did not get on with Wild Abandon。 I read up to page 100， wondering why I’d got to page 86 and the art show before there was anything of any interest to me and then the novel reverted to vacuous drinking and drug taking activities。 I’ve read an interview with Bitto so I understand that she makes her living by selling cocktails and is probably very familiar with this self-indulgent narcissistic millennial world of excessive drinking and the normalisation of drug-taking， but I just can’t make myself read any more of it。 I don't rate books I don't finish。 。。。more

Kate Downey ，

So much to think about。 I read this almost as if I didn't want to but couldn't stop。 It's not a 'nice' story but Bitto covers so much ground that I am still thinking about it and wondering how to articulate my ideas。This is a novel about conflict， about the different kinds of conflict that shape our decision， and Bitto seems interested in how her different characters respond to or cope with （or not） the difficulties they come up against。 So much to think about。 I read this almost as if I didn't want to but couldn't stop。 It's not a 'nice' story but Bitto covers so much ground that I am still thinking about it and wondering how to articulate my ideas。This is a novel about conflict， about the different kinds of conflict that shape our decision， and Bitto seems interested in how her different characters respond to or cope with （or not） the difficulties they come up against。 。。。more

James Noonan ，

DNF。 Was holding out for the second section， where Will travels to the American heartland and meets the mysterious Wayne， but made it only a few pages in。 I found this book extremely overwritten in parts。 It reminded me instantly of Don Delillo （no surprise， as the author excerpts 'Americana' at the very beginning）， and I'm generally a fan of his style， and appreciate the way he plays with language， often fusing odd words here and there to form new verbs or adjectives， or at least use words in w DNF。 Was holding out for the second section， where Will travels to the American heartland and meets the mysterious Wayne， but made it only a few pages in。 I found this book extremely overwritten in parts。 It reminded me instantly of Don Delillo （no surprise， as the author excerpts 'Americana' at the very beginning）， and I'm generally a fan of his style， and appreciate the way he plays with language， often fusing odd words here and there to form new verbs or adjectives， or at least use words in ways I find new and exciting。 But I must admit it's a style I find rather dense and exhausting， as if every word is freighted with meaning， almost like poetry。 And it was a similar experience for me reading this book。 Maybe I could have enjoyed it more， were it not for the long， abstract passages that cropped up on every second page – ideas-heavy， parapraph-long sentences that would force me to double back and re-read， and which took me out of the story completely。 I also found Will to be quite mediocre - and normally I don't mind an 'everyman' type protagonist， and was nonetheless interested in following him around for the first hundred or so pages。 But he didn't feel intellectual or curious enough to warrant the type of observations being made， or the overarching commentary on capitalism or changing landscape of middle America。 His break-up with Laura felt very pedestrian， as did his upbringing and relationship with his parents， and it all just resulted in my not caring very much for seeing how things panned out for him。But I understand it's mostly a style thing， which you'll either gel with or you won't。 It was a miss for me this time， but I do give the author props for her fearless， forensic dissection of ideas （she's clearly a lot smarter than I am）， and I'm keen to read her debut work， The Strays， as I've heard excellent things。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Wild Abandon

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Wild Abandon&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Wild Abandon&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0