THE WILDERNESS OF GIRLS

Rebecca Soler narrates this feminist story of 16-year-old Rhiher's traumatic past. Rhi unexpectedly moves in with her gentle, caring uncle. While working at a wildlife preserve, she is shocked to find four feral girls whose guardian, a man named Mother, has recently died. Mother claimed to be a prophet and said the girls would return to the kingdom of Leutheria when they found their fifth sister. The girls befriend Rhi at the same time that their opinions about Mother begin to diverge; listeners can hear their growing contentiousness. Adults discuss them in grave tones, and characters sob with shaky voices as they work through their trauma. Listeners will alternate between outrage and tenderness as this novel criticizes how our society treats women and girls. L.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2024]