Dec 10

Dec 10 Wilder Girls--More Like Wildly Disappointing

Wilder Girls is the December book of the month for Hamilton’s “Novel Idea” book club. Photo by Cora Kuhlenbeck.

A Novel Idea: Wilder Girls by Rory Power Review

When reading Wilder Girls by Rory Power, we were perplexed and absolutely enthralled with the storytelling. Page after page, we wanted to devour this book and unravel its secrets. Wilder Girls takes place on the small island of Raxter off the coast of Maine. The only inhabitants of the island are female pupils and teachers at an all-girls private school. Two years ago, the people got infected by a mysterious disease called the Tox, and they started to develop strange and grotesque features such as gills, claws, and bioluminescent hair. They were quarantined by the CDC, and when the book starts, the island’s population of a few hundred has already been reduced to around 60 people. The story follows the two perspectives of Hetty and Byatt as they fight against the disease and a conspiracy that is truly life or death.

The beginning provided what was promised on the back cover by Claire Legrand, author of Furyborn as a “bold, imaginative, emotionally wrenching horror novel” But the rest of the quotations don't come close to the reality of the writing. The reviews on the back cover rave about a “feminist, LGBT+ book” (Dawn Kurtagich). In truth, the characters lacked dimension and consistency. What's more, there was only one confirmed LGBT character who barely touched the pages; we hardly call that an LGBT+ book.

The first 250 pages were phenomenal, exciting, and built tension like a stone wall. But save yourself the trouble, this book lands absolutely flat. The last 100 pages completely tore down any semblance of a good story the author had built. The complex tapestry Power developed was unraveled, leaving the reader to close the book unsatisfied. Overall, A Novel Idea does not recommend Wilder Girls.

3/5 stars: Do not recommend