The Stats
Title: A History of Wild Places
Author: Shea Ernshaw
Narrated By: Cindy Kay,Carlotta Brentan,Pete Simonelli,Gibson Frazier,Cassandra Campbell
Publisher: Atria Books (7 December, 2021)
Time: 11 Hours 59 Mins
Genre: General Fiction (Adult), Fantasy, Magical Realism, Thriller, Suspense
Trigger Warnings: Abuse, Manipulation, Drug Use, Death
Read if you like: Stepford Wives, Don’t Worry Darling, The Village
Feature Image from Amazon Reviews
The Review
“A History of Wild Places” by Shea Ernshaw is a hauntingly beautiful and bewitching story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind. The story follows Travis Wren, who has an unusual talent for locating missing people, and his investigation into the disappearance of Maggie St. James, a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books. Travis is led to a place many believed to be only a legend, called “Pastoral,” a reclusive community founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. The commune shouldn’t exist anymore, but after Travis stumbles upon it, he disappears just like Maggie before him.
Years later, no one is allowed in or out of Pastoral, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease, called “rot,” but Theo, a member of Pastoral, pushes crossing the boarder and discovers Travis’s abandoned truck. Unraveling the mystery of what happened to Travis and Maggie reveals the secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed, and that darkness takes many forms.
Ernshaw’s writing is hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and atmospheric. The setting of Pastoral is so well-described that readers will feel like they are living inside a mysterious compound hidden deep in the dark woods. The author excels at building out a sense of place, and readers will be able to picture Pastoral perfectly in their minds. The pacing is slow at times, but it steadily increases as the characters lift the veil from Pastoral and the use of multiple voice actors helped during the slower times.
The biggest mystery of the plot is predictable, but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience of the book. The atmosphere and the way the story is told make it a compelling read. “A History of Wild Places” is an intricate story that will stick with readers long after they finish it. Overall, it’s a fantastic debut for Ernshaw in the adult space, and readers who enjoy atmospheric mysteries will love this book.
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