A WOMAN IN THE WILD

In Crawford’s novel, a woman seeking forgiveness for herself at an isolated retreat attempts to help a “wild man” found living in the wilderness.

Thea Firth has retreated from the world, leaving her therapy practice behind in favor of a residency at the Institute for Healing and Transformation. Located “high up in the mountains,” the Institute offers a place for Thea to attempt self-forgiveness for not recognizing that her husband at the time was sexually abusing her daughter. Three days after Thea arrives, a “wild man” who was found living alongside a bear in the nearby wilderness is brought to the Institute for observation and rehabilitation. Despite the man’s refusal to speak, his identity is soon uncovered: He is Lucas “Luke” Lamont, who disappeared into the woods a few days before the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death and has been missing ever since. Thea finds herself fascinated with Luke and begins working alongside fellow resident Moritz Manz to unravel the man’s inner turmoil. In doing so, Thea recognizes similarities between them (“In her desire to heal him, she could feel her own need to be healed”) and is forced to finally confront her own shortcomings. Crawford weaves together beautiful prose, from descriptions of nature to otherworldly musings. As a protagonist, Thea is often hard to root for—especially when she reveals that she sent her daughter to boarding school and her husband to therapy after learning of his abuse. But her work as a therapist, and her eventual understanding of the constraints of that field, together create an interesting tension that offsets her healing journey. The novel’s verbose spiritual descriptions—“She waited for a vibration like the movement of angels from world to world, a stirring that would make her tremble within. Or Luke’s god-intoxicated spirit might be rising”—will most likely appeal to readers who embrace (or are at least open to) a rich spiritual world. Despite the languid pacing, Crawford eloquently explores themes of forgiveness and healing.

A quiet, reflective story that eloquently meanders through questions of life, love, and nature.