Deep in the Catskill Mountains there is a place that protects those that need shelter. The ruins of the Neves sits waiting for women who need to get away, need to hide, need to heal. Talia has never known life beyond the magic boundaries of the Neves. Then one day disaster strikes. Men show up, they rip her and her mother away from their sanctuary and separate them. Talia’s mother goes to prison and Talia is sent to live with an aunt that she didn’t even know she had. Talia would give anything to go back to the Neves, but does she still know the way? After three years in the real world, she is ready to find out. See if she can make it home in Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Little, Brown and Company for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of Wake the Wild Creatures contains some spoilers!]
The Neves is a place of safety in Wake the Wild Creatures
Talia has never known anything other than life at the Neves. Her mother brought her there when she was a baby to escape a dangerous world. At first, they were the only two there, but eventually more women came looking for a safe haven. Whether the Neves has some magic of its own or whether the Catskills mountains are just a good place to hide, the women live alone and untouched by the outside world. Until Talia’s 13th birthday, that is.
Just after Talia turns 13 she enters the woods to see if she can find her way back to the Neves. If she does, she can stay forever, if she doesn’t, then she must make her way on her own. But before she can make it back, she’s captured by law enforcement looking for her mom. To save the Neves, her mother turns herself in and Talia is sent to live with an aunt she never knew existed in a world she’s been raised to both fear and hate.
Three years later, Talia is not doing well. She just can’t get the hang of the modern world and what’s more, she doesn’t want to. She spends every minute thinking about the Neves and how to get back there. Now that she’s 16, Talia is more determined than ever to get back.
Then she gets help from an unexpected place, her cousin. For the past three years, Talia’s cousin, Lake, has resented her and pushed her away. Not that Talia ever really tried for a connected, the Neves was the only thing that mattered to her. But suddenly things change, Lake has her own problems and decides to help Talia. Together, the two go looking for a safe place in a world that has failed them.
The Neves is a liminal fantasy space that is also real
Talia sees the Neves as a magical place of safety. Hidden deep in the Catskill mountains, the world seems to have forgotten it and nature is working on reclaiming it. In this weird place, the rest of the world doesn’t seem to exist.
Talia’s told, and believes, that it’s because the Neves is magic and no one can enter there unless they need help. More likely, the money dried up and people have just forgotten about it. But Suma leaves the truth a little blurry. Maybe the Neves does have some magic.
One thing is for sure, though, all the women hiding there must depend on each other. Most are hiding from those that have hurt them. Some are hiding from what they’ve done. They find sanctuary at the Neves and in each other. But they must trust each other, if they don’t, everything can fall apart fast.
Through flashbacks of Talia’s life, we see exactly how that can happen and how high the consequences can be. Talia sees the Neves as a magical refuge, but I’m not as convinced. I see more of a Lord of the Flies angle to it. The group is strong and simple when it’s small, but as it grows it gets a strong cult feel to it, and it feels every bit as dangerous as the world the women left behind.
I’m certain that this wasn’t what Suma was going for. Like Talia, I think she saw the idea of the Neves as ideal. But the sinister side came through in the writing for me. I doubt that was her aim. The idea of women taking care of women and men being the enemy seems to be the theme of the book. But the potential for harm lies in all of us and that comes through in Wake the Wild Creatures too.
I hate presuming what the author intended, maybe that was exactly the message that she was trying to convey by showing us Talia’s memories, I guess you’ll have to judge for yourself.
Final thoughts on Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma
In the end, Talia seems to find what she wants, but does anyone else? Most of the characters are left in a very unsettled state at the end of Wake the Wild Creatures. Furthermore, although Talia seems happy, she has no real character growth, she starts as a naive little girl, and she ends that same way with no shift in perspective.
My rating for this book: 5/10
I didn’t really care for the lack of resolution or growth that Suma gave us in Wake the Wild Creatures. Talia’s story is interesting, Lake’s honestly more so, but the ending leaves me wanting more for them both and kept me from actually liking the rest of the story as a result. It felt like I’d watched an okay movie but skipped the last 15 minutes that could have made it good. Suma needed just a few more pages to make a good story, instead she settled for a skippable one.
Also check out: Book Review: Elphie by Gregory Maguire
