From Powells.com
The Best Books of 2019 (So Far)
Staff Pick
Erin, a young British woman, is inspired by Into The Wild to make her own journey to the Alaskan wilderness while filming a feminist documentary. This isn't your usual travelogue or wilderness survival story. It's fresh and funny, yet deeply philosophical, while drawing inspiration from Ted Kaczynski, Rachel Carson, and the history of the space race. I was personally inspired by the story to be more adventurous. Recommended By Amy W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
This is a new kind of nature writing — one that crosses fiction with science writing and puts gender politics at the center of the landscape.
Erin, a 19-year-old girl from middle England, is traveling to Alaska on a journey that takes her through Iceland, Greenland, and across Canada. She is making a documentary about how men are allowed to express this kind of individualism and personal freedom more than women are, based on masculinist ideas of survivalism and the shunning of society: the “Mountain Man.” She plans to culminate her journey with an experiment: living in a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness, a la Thoreau, to explore it from a feminist perspective.
The book is a fictional time capsule curated by Erin, comprising of personal narrative, fact, anecdote, images and maps, on subjects as diverse as The Golden Records, Voyager 1, the moon landings, the appropriation of Native land and culture, Rachel Carson, The Order of The Dolphin, The Doomsday Clock, Ted Kaczynski, Valentina Tereshkova, Jack London, Thoreau, Darwin, Nuclear war, The Letters of Last Resort, and the pill, amongst many other topics.
Review
"This deeply feminist adventure tale is a splendid, innovative response to the genre of masculine travelogue." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"A philosophy book at heart...charming, and funny, and smart...I absolutely loved this book." Liberty Hardy, All the Books! Podcast (Ep 200), BookRiot
Review
"A great read: through the adventures of her protagonist Erin, Andrews challenges the traditional patriarchal narratives of adventure, exploration, and constructs of 'wilderness' in a story that is equal parts witty, charming, and deeply compelling." Yvonne C. Garrett, The Brooklyn Rail
Review
"Abi Andrews gives us a resilient, vulnerable, and sharp-thinking character for her debut novel, yet it’s her strong feminist voice that makes The Word for Woman Is Wilderness an absolute must read....It’s quick and smart and really just in a league of its own." Jaylynn Korrell, Independent Book Review
About the Author
Abi Andrews is a writer from the Midlands, England. She studied Creative Writing at Goldsmiths college in London, and her work has been published in Five Dials, Caught by the River, The Clearing, The Dark Mountain Project, Tender, and other journals, along with a pamphlet published with Goldsmiths Shorts. Her debut novel The Word for Woman Is Wilderness was originally published by Serpent’s Tail in February 2018 and Hoffmann und Campe in October 2018.