The Wildlands, Abby Geni
The Wildlands, Abby Geni
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The Wildlands
A Novel

Author: Abby Geni

Narrator: Carol Monda

Unabridged: 12 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/04/2018

Synopsis

From the award-winning author of The Lightkeepers comes a page-turning new novel that explores the bond between siblings and the animal instincts that threaten to destroy them.When a Category 5 tornado ravaged Mercy, Oklahoma, no family in the small town lost more than the McClouds. Their home and farm were instantly demolished, and orphaned siblings Darlene, Jane, and Cora made media headlines. This relentless national attention and the tornado’s aftermath caused great tension with their brother, Tucker, who soon abandoned his sisters and disappeared.On the three-year anniversary of the tornado, a cosmetics factory outside of Mercy is bombed, and the lab animals trapped within are released. Tucker reappears, injured from the blast, and seeks the help of nine-year-old Cora. Caught up in the thrall of her charismatic brother, whom she has desperately missed, Cora agrees to accompany Tucker on a cross-country mission to make war on human civilization.Cora becomes her brother’s unwitting accomplice, taking on a new identity while engaging in acts of escalating violence. Darlene works with Mercy police to find her siblings, leading to an unexpected showdown at a zoo in Southern California. The Wildlands is another remarkable literary thriller from critically acclaimed writer Abby Geni, one that examines what happens when one family becomes trapped in the tenuous space between the human and animal worlds.

About Abby Geni

Abby Geni is the author of several books, including The Lightkeepers, winner of the 2016 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award for Fiction and the inaugural Chicago Review of Books Award for Best Fiction, and her novel The Last Animal was an Indies Introduce Debut Writers Selection and a finalist for the Orion Book Award. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a recipient of the Iowa Fellowship.

About Carol Monda

Carol Monda is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and accomplished voice-over artist. She is also an award-winning actor known for her work in Out of Season, After You Left, and The Gentlemen.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Will

This is the story of the summer I disappeared - Cora McCloudI don’t think we’re in Kansas any more - Dorothy Gale…the tornado was not an act of God, but an act of nature. The wild had come to Mercy that day, as she and her siblings cowered in the bunker, the full force of the wild had roared ab......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader

An easy, deliberate 5 stars! In the prologue of The Wildlands, a family is quickly preparing for a Category 5 tornado. They live on a farm and are working to secure the animals and themselves before disaster potentially strikes. I read The Wildlands as a hurricane was leaving an indelible and devasta......more

Goodreads review by Jeffrey

”But it was Tucker who worried Darlene the most. Something was happening to him--something she could not identify. He was speeding up, growing more intense by the day. Their great loss had created a mechanism inside his person--buried in his chest or the core of his brain--and it was always humming.......more

Goodreads review by JanB

An easy 5 stars! The author’s writing is beautiful and completely captivating. All the elements come together to make this a riveting read. The audiobook’s narrator, Carol Monda, was excellent and when I wasn’t listening I was looking for a way to do so. When a tornado rips through Mercy, Oklahoma,......more

Quotes

“[A] character-driven environmental thriller—think Silent Spring by way of Celeste Ng.” O, The Oprah Magazine

“From the moment Abby Geni’s second novel starts, you know you’re in good hands…Geni spins a careful, humane, moving story, centered primarily on the youngest McCloud, Cora.” USA Today

“Combines the natural world with man-made terror.” Millions

“With skillful prose, you’ll sympathize with Cora, a girl who must learn how to differentiate between love and family.” Women.com

“A moving exploration of humanity: not only the danger of our belief in our supremacy and our power to control our environment but also the unique power of our love for each other.” BuzzFeed

“Geni’s fascination with the borders between human and animal drives this distinctive sophomore novel…Geni continues to create works of art with perfect voices that are simultaneously thrillers and meditations on nature. It is an incredible trick.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[A] deeply unnerving exploration of the permeable line between wildness and civilization in this teeth-gritting tale…Riveting, provocative, and unforgettable.” Booklist (starred review)

“Enfolds multiple themes: how the well-intentioned can go horribly wrong, how childhood experiences shape us, and what family love really means and how it can vie with principle.” Library Journal (starred review)

“The novel is particularly notable for its interrogations of human relationships with the natural world…A fast-paced, high-stakes novel that will keep the reader turning the pages.” Publishers Weekly

“Geni dives into the complex relationship between siblings and how trauma impacts family bonds. BookPage

Awards

  • Millions.com Pick
  • Women.com
  • Paperback Paris Pick
  • Book Riot Pick
  • Booklist Pick
  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • Literary Hub Pick
  • Oprah’s Book Club Selection
  • USA Today Pick
  • Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  • Buzzfeed Best Books of the Year
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