The metropolis overcrowded, overshadowed by smog and polluted. When Bea’s five-year-old daughter, Agnes, slowly dies off its effects, there’s only one solution: The Wilderness State.

Fleeing a city to the only excising wilderness to survive because of climate change. It seems so far away, but this book really hit a nerve as drought is a reality where I live. Due to high temperatures there’s low water and parts of the river bank is drying out. Fortunately it’s only parts, but I found it fitting for this review to include.

New Wilderness however does not dwell long on issues of climate change. It’s a dystopian novel about what happens when people are one with nature again. It asks the question can we survive in the wild, are humans capable of returning to a nomadic existence and how do we react to the harsh elements and the dangers of nature without having any luxury? This is being explored through the experiences of Bea and Agnes and their relationship as mother and daughter. The story has no clear plot line, it doesn’t have a extensive worldbuilding, it’s more a transcription of daily live for these characters surviving nature. And I really loved it. The prose was beautiful and I loved how it let me think about my own relationship with nature and my mother. It made me wonder if we really could live with nature instead of against it. I would recommend this to anyone interested in these philosophical questions, but stay clear of it when you want more action or a clear plot.