Dear Author...

Be prepared to be disturbed while reading “​Wilder Girls.” ​Rory Power’s debut novel begins with the premise of a nightmare. The Raxter School for girls has been put under quarantine for the past 18 months. During those months, the Tox has made its presence known by infecting the girls and the teachers.

It comes in flare-ups, and by the time these are over, the girls are irrevocably, physically changed in weird ways. For instance, Hetty, the main narrator, essentially grew a third eyelid during a flare-up and lost vision in her right eye. Life is still extremely difficult on the island, despite the Navy’s help. Hetty and the other girls try to survive despite the Tox and find the truth behind their situation.

Power’s writing style annoyed me at first.

The book began with very stitled fragments and was awkward to read. It did grow on me, and I found Hetty’s narration to be very poetic and honest. Her thoughts sounded just like they should for someone in her position.

Hetty was such a strong character. She always wanted to do the right thing, even at great cost to herself. The other characters were not as developed. The majority of the minor characters felt bland and superficial, like they did not have any personality and were there solely to push the plot along. I did feel sympathetic for all the characters because they did not have an easy way to escape a living nightmare.

So many interactions between the characters felt absolutely pointless and immature. The relationship Hetty had with another girl also felt forced and unnatural.

Wilder Girls ​continually kept me on edge, purely because weird things kept happening, literally non-stop. All of these events did not fit together and felt too disjointed to really contribute to the overall plot effectively.

That is not to say that ​“Wilder Girls” ​is not a good book. It is, and it is perfect for the spooky season. Power definitely has great writing skills, and ​“Wilder Girls” ​is great for a debut novel.

Signed, Rita Nicholson

Copy Editor