Wilderness

Finished October 11
Wilderness by Lance Weller

This debut novel will capture you. It begins with Jane, an old woman in a nursing home, but she is a very small part of the story. The story goes back to the latter part of the nineteenth century, moving between the US Civil War and a few days in the late fall of 1899. She looks back at her parents: her first father and mother, her second father, her third father and her second mother. The Civil War portion tells the story of Abel, Jane's second father, the one she had for the briefest time. Abel fought on the rebel side, and his memory takes us through the loss of fellow soldiers, the lost of family, and the loss of others he meets along the way. It is doled out in bits, with pieces alluded to, hinted at, and told partly, before we hear the tale in full. The time in 1899 tells of Abel's last journey, and his relationship with Glenn and Ellen, Jane's third father and second mother. It tells the tale of how she came by these parents, and the challenges that these adults faced. The writing is lovely, and the story will capture you as you wait to find out how they manage through their difficult lives.