The inspiration for The Wilderness came from author Angela Flournoy witnessing her mother’s own decades-long friendships with the same group of women. Flournoy realized the importance of these kinds of long-lasting relationships throughout life’s changes, trials, and celebrations and The Wilderness was born.
The Wilderness focuses on a group of four girls—Desiree, Monique, Nakia, and January—and their lives between 2008 and 2027. When the book opens, the girls are in their twenties, dealing with the kinds of things girls in their twenties do: what outfit to wear to the club, whether to hook up with someone, having no food in your fridge, whether you like your job.
The book jumps back and forth in time—which can sometimes leave the reader wondering which events have already been experienced by characters versus not having happened yet—but the story generally progresses through the decades.
The girls’ twenties shift into their thirties, when the group has dispersed across the country and grown apart in the way that friendships do when marriage or kids take precedence.
While the girls still get together for vacations and have a group chat to stay connected, there are more pressing concerns for each of them—the pervasiveness of the political climate, racial equality, technology, and climate change (all four of which play their own minor roles in the book) as well as a myriad of personal struggles, like whether to keep a baby or being estranged from a family member.
By the time these women hit their forties, they’ve all had major life events. While it’s easy for each girl to become wrapped up in her own life, there are key moments where each reaches out to the other girls—nay, sisters, as they all think of each other—for support in one form or another. What they find is that whether it’s been a few days or a few months since they’ve connected, they are still there for each other in the ways that count.
Ultimately, this is what readers will find appealing about The Wilderness: the relatability of this group of four women—this story could be any reader and their friend group. More than being about its four main characters, The Wilderness is about the ins and outs of daily life throughout formative decades of your life and how the friends you have along the way will make those so much the better.
The Wilderness will be released September 16.
Image Via Mariner Books
