A single mother, an abandoned farmhouse, and an epic battle with the northern wilderness. Rediscover the Canadian classic by the #1 bestselling author of Finding Flora.
Broke and desperate, Molly Bannister accepts the ironclad condition laid down in her great-aunt’s will: to receive her inheritance, Molly must spend one year in an abandoned, off-the-grid farmhouse in the remote backwoods of northern Alberta. If she does, she will be able to sell the farm and fund her four-year-old daughter’s badly needed medical treatment.
With grim determination, Molly teaches herself basic homesteading skills. But her greatest perils come from the brutal wilderness itself, from blizzards to grizzly bears. Will she and her child survive the savage winter? Will she outsmart the idealist young farmer who would thwart her plan to sell the farm? Not only their financial future, but their very lives are at stake. Only the journal written by Molly's courageous great-aunt, the land’s original homesteader, inspires her to struggle on.
Paperback, 400 pages
Expected publication April 28, 2026
by Simon & Schuster Canada
4/5 stars
This was my first time reading this author, I was impressed with the atmospheric writing and strong sense of place.
Wildwood is a well-written survival story that blends the harsh realities of wilderness living with a personal journey of resilience and determination.
Molly Bannister is a interesting character, her desperation to secure a future for her daughter makes her situation feel urgent and real from the very beginning. Inheriting an old, off the grid farmhouse with the stimulation of having to live in it for a year in order to claim ownership is a lot of pressure for someone who hasn't even seen snow before. Let alone all the other realities of country living. Watching her learn to navigate in the unforgiving northern Alberta wilderness was both gripping and at times stressful in the best way. The elements themselves, between blizzards, isolation and the constant threat of wildlife felt like characters in their own right.
One of my favourite aspects was the dual timeline through her great-aunt’s journal. It added depth and a strong sense of history, showing the parallels between two women shaped by the same land.
All in all this was an immersive and atmospheric read, it's a story about survival, motherhood and perseverance. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author’s backlist.
Molly Bannister is a interesting character, her desperation to secure a future for her daughter makes her situation feel urgent and real from the very beginning. Inheriting an old, off the grid farmhouse with the stimulation of having to live in it for a year in order to claim ownership is a lot of pressure for someone who hasn't even seen snow before. Let alone all the other realities of country living. Watching her learn to navigate in the unforgiving northern Alberta wilderness was both gripping and at times stressful in the best way. The elements themselves, between blizzards, isolation and the constant threat of wildlife felt like characters in their own right.
One of my favourite aspects was the dual timeline through her great-aunt’s journal. It added depth and a strong sense of history, showing the parallels between two women shaped by the same land.
All in all this was an immersive and atmospheric read, it's a story about survival, motherhood and perseverance. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author’s backlist.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster CA for a print arc in exchange for a honest review.
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