![]() ![]() Bea finds comfort in items brought from the City – against the rules, she has squirreled them away. The mother, Bea, leaves the bloody remains of her early born baby to the coyotes, returning to her husband, Glen, and daughter, Agnes, in the cave where the family sleep. ![]() Opening with a stillbirth, the harsh realities of the volunteers’ lives are quickly laid bare. Rangers ensure that they follow the rules set out in the Manual, punishing them for any infractions. ![]() This means no constructing of shelters or tools they cannot carry. Here they survive as hunter / gatherers but must leave no trace of their existence. The reader is introduced to a small group of volunteers who have left the City – where pollution is killing their children – to join a monitored study in the Wilderness. Acceptance is only challenged by individuals when conditions prove personally untenable. It is an exploration of how people react when their comfortable world turns toxic. The story is dystopian fiction, a genre that is proving popular in current times – and worryingly prescient. When their latest release, The New Wilderness, was included on this year’s longlist I was eager to read it. Oneworld Publishing, however, has a rare success rate – winning the prize in 20. An independent press getting a title on the Booker longlist is a Big Thing for them, even if it can also create headaches due to the cost of complying with the rules the Booker sets on print runs and marketing. ![]()
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