Staff Pick
Oregonian author Ernshaw has a way of fully drawing you into the world of her story, where you can smell the trees and feel the dirt on your toes. I loved both her YA novels and was equally spellbound by her adult debut. This book is so artfully woven, each chapter pulling the threads, picking at a knot, carefully unraveling the story to reveal its secrets. What happened to Maggie St. James? Recommended By Carly J., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
"What a wonderful rabbit hole to fall down." —Erika Swyler, author of Light From Other Stars and The Book of Speculation
"A terrifying and timely book." —Erica Ferencik, bestselling author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle
"As spine-chilling as it is beautifully crafted." —Ruth Emmie Lang, author of Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance
The New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep weaves a richly atmospheric adult debut following three residents of a secluded, seemingly peaceful commune as they investigate the disappearances of two outsiders.
Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Hired by families as a last resort, he requires only a single object to find the person who has vanished. When he takes on the case of Maggie St. James — a well-known author of dark, macabre children's books — he's led to a place many believed to be only a legend.
Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn't exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it... he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.
Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis's abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there's a risk of bringing a disease — rot — into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn't as safe as they believed — and that darkness takes many forms.
Hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic, and bewitching, A History of Wild Places is a story about fairy tales, our fear of the dark, and losing yourself within the wilderness of your mind.
Review
"Let the wild rumpus start! A History of Wild Places is poignant and original, and will truly take you to uncharted places. One of the best novels I've read this year." Alex Finlay, author of Every Last Fear and The Night Shift
Review
"A History of Wild Places is as eerie and enticing as a gingerbread house in a dark forest. My advice? Gobble up the whole thing. This book will enchant you with its delicious, dangerous magic." Abby Geni, author of The Lightkeepers and The Wildlands
Review
"A gorgeously written tale of a community frozen in time and falling headlong into darkness. The plot twists will leave you breathless." Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters
Review
"A riveting, atmospheric thriller that messes with your mind in the best way. Shea Ernshaw knows what she's doing." Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer
Review
"An entirely enthralling novel, a true history of a world that pulls the reader into its depths. It is darkly rich in its setting, and its visual, visceral, and absorbing moments are both haunting and rewarding to the reader." Phoebe Wynne, author of Madam
Review
"A lurid, fast-paced story of a reclusive commune....The twisty plot brims with tension. There's plenty of fodder here for a miniseries." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A richly embroidered tapestry deepens in hues as the story turns darker. Readers will sink into this one, and although they might question details of the resolution, they will be moved by the novel's power." Booklist
Video
Watch the Powell’s virtual event with Shea Ernshaw and Amanda Montell!
About the Author
Shea Ernshaw is the author of A History of Wild Places, the New York Times bestseller The Wicked Deep, Winterwood, and A Wilderness of Stars. She is the winner of the 2019 Oregon Book Award. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel.