The Wilderness of Girls
An Indie Next Pick
A B&N Best Book of 2024
In her ambitious debut perfect for fans of Sadie and The Hazel Wood, Madeline Claire Franklin crafts a gripping exploration of how the world teaches young girls to cage their wildness—and what happens when they claw themselves free.
ISBN
9781638931003
Language
English
Page count
349
Edition
Hardcover
Sale date
June 11, 2024
Dimensions
6 x 9
About the Book
In her ambitious debut perfect for fans of Sadie and The Hazel Wood, Madeline Claire Franklin crafts a gripping exploration of how the world teaches young girls to cage their wildness—and what happens when they claw themselves free.
After being placed in foster care, Rhi is hungry for a fresh start and begins working at the Happy Valley Wildlife Preserve. While in the woods, she stumbles upon a surreal sight: a pack of wolves guarding four feral and majestic girls. After Rhi gains their trust, they reveal that they’re princesses from another land, raised by a magical prophet they call Mother—and they’re convinced Rhi is their lost fifth sister.
Unsure what to believe, Rhi ushers the girls to civilization, where they’re met with societal uproar and scrutiny, dubbed by the ravenous media and true crime junkies as “The Wild Girls of Happy Valley.” Desperate to return to their kingdom, the girls look to Rhi for help. Rhi knows the girls are deluded, but at the same time she’s drawn in by their boldness and authenticity—traits she is afraid she has lost within herself. And when Rhi witnesses strange phenomena she can’t quite explain, the line between fantasy and reality grows blurry.
As the hunt for answers intensifies, Rhi must make a decision that will change the course of her lives and the lives of her Wild Girls forever.
Reviews
“Tender and raw, this debut isn’t afraid to dig into the agonizing interior lives of teen girls, the ways our world tries to break them, and the bonds they create to survive it.”
“The novel’s storylines paint a compelling portrait of the power of teenage girls despite constant mistreatment. . . . A compelling, thoughtful, and original debut.”
“Eerie and engrossing…. Magic, folklore, and contemporary society collide in The Wilderness of Girls as it sensitively explores the pain of trauma, the beauty of found family, and the possibility that ‘There is room for so much more than any of us had ever dared to imagine.’”
“Franklin’s debut is a haunting tale where reality and fantasy intertwine in a way that will have readers questioning reality. . . . The overarching themes are of friendship, feminism, and the inner strength that these women share when they are together. The unforgettable characters and unique plot of this novel linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.”
“A searing fairy tale that blooms with ferocious magic and mystery. To all readers like me who revel in the wondrous, ominous, and strange: you have just found your next great literary obsession.”
“Expertly threads fantasy with heartbreaking reality, weaving a story of loss, anger, sisterhood, and the wildness we long for. I loved this book, from its sharp teeth to its fierce and tender heart.”
“Like a news story woven from the threads of a fairytale, The Wilderness of Girls is beautiful, complex, and sure to leave you thinking long after you close its covers.”
“An absolute battle cry of a book by a major new talent. You will swallow it whole, howling all the way.”
“A stunning work of luminous ferocity that lingers long after the last line.”
“I read this entire book with my heart in my throat. The feeling of unease [is] a constant hum in the background. Franklin keeps you guessing at every turn. The Wilderness of Girls is odd and unsettling but I couldn’t for the life of me put it down. The tenacity and strength of these wild broken girls is mind-boggling. And even though I am still doubting fact from fiction, I would recommend this book one hundred times over.”
“A fierce, gut-wrenching, and empowering debut that explores the complexities of navigating girlhood, grief, belonging, and healing, wrapped in an enthralling blend of mystery and fantasy. For fans of Courtney Summers, Melissa Albert, and Rory Power.”
“Full of magic and heartache, The Wilderness of Girls takes you to another plane. The one constant is the love of family, whether it’s the one you are born into or one of your own choosing.”
Madeline Claire Franklin is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults (VCFA WCYA). When she is not writing strange fiction for young adults, she is probably attempting to dismantle white supremacy and/or practicing witchcraft. She is a queer, Jewish, invisibly disabled woman living in sin in Buffalo, NY, with her partner, two dogs, three cats, and two Roombas, in a little yellow house called Cluckleberry Farms.
