Description
A NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
One of the most anticipated books of the summer for Time, Harper's Bazaar, Bustle and Publishers Weekly
'Deftly written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read!'
Margaret Atwood
'Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive'
Tommy Orange, author of There There
'Dimaline turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant'
New York Times
'An utterly compelling blend of propulsive narrative, starkly beautiful writing and passionate, near dysfunctional love'
Daily Mail
Broken-hearted Joan has been searching for her husband, Victor, for almost a year - ever since he went missing on the night they had their first serious argument. One hung-over morning in a Walmart parking lot in a little town near Georgian Bay, she is drawn to a revival tent where the local Metis have been flocking to hear a charismatic preacher. By the time she staggers into the tent the service is over, but as she is about to leave, she hears an unmistakable voice.
She turns, and there is Victor. Only he insists he is not Victor, but the Reverend Eugene Wolff, on a mission to bring his people to Jesus.
With only two allies - her Johnny-Cash-loving, 12-year-old nephew Zeus, and Ajean, a foul-mouthed euchre shark with deep knowledge of the old Metis ways - Joan sets out to remind the Reverend Wolff of who he really is. If he really is Victor, his life and the life of everyone she loves, depends upon her success.
About the Author
Cherie Dimaline is a member of the Georgian Bay Metis Community in Ontario. Her 2017 book,THE MARROW THIEVES, won the Governor General's Award, the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers and was named a Book of Year on numerous lists including the National Public Radio, the New York Public Library, the Globe and Mail and the CBC, and continues to be a national bestseller 2 years later.
Her new novel EMPIRE OF WILD became an instant bestseller and was named Indigo's #1 Best Book of 2019.
Reviews
Deftly written, gripping and informative. Empire of Wild is a rip-roaring read! * Margaret Atwood *
Empire of Wild is doing everything I love in a contemporary novel and more. It is tough, funny, beautiful, honest and propulsive . . . Cherie Dimaline is a voice that feels both inevitable and necessary. * Tommy Orange, author of THERE THERE *
Settle in for an utterly compelling blend of propulsive narrative, starkly beautiful writing and passionate, near dysfunctional love, based in the mixed-heritage Metis community of western Canada. * Daily Mail *
A blend of close-knit emotional bonds and ambiguous menace... Dimaline's novel is able to take the plot to some unexpectedly phantasmagorical places without losing sight of its emotional core... Stories and their telling run throughout this book, from official histories to tales of uncanny and mythic creatures whispered about late at night... Dimaline here turns an old story into something newly haunting and resonant. * New York Times Review of Books *
Empire of Wild is a small book. But it is not a slight book. It is close, tight, stark, beautiful - rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word. And through multiple narrators (including free-floating, disjointed chapters from Victor which haunt every major angle of the plot), disconnected timelines, the strange geographies of memory and storytelling, Dimaline has crafted something both current and timeless, mythic but personal. It is the story of Joan and her love. Joan and her loss. Joan and her family. Joan and her monster. * NPR *
Sharp. * New Yorker *
Wildly entertaining and profound and essential. * New York Times *
Exhilarating. * Lit Hub *
Revelatory... Gritty and engaging, this story of a woman and her missing husband is one of candor, wit and tradition." * Ms. Magazine *
Dimaline trusts her readers. Her characters reiterate the importance of heritage, culture, and representation to their careless and dismissive youth, but she uses language that compels everyone to take heed - native or not; old or young... Dimaline has written this narrator as if she is moving from room to room, traveling through the pages: yes, she has seen and survived it all and when it comes right down to it, Dimaline makes it clear that when it comes to standing up for her people, she is wildly excited about the choreography of a damn good fight. * Chicago Review of Books *
The novel is at times sad, at times humorous, and at times terrifying. Smartly written with believable characters, a tight plot, and breathtaking sentences, this is a must-read literary thriller. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
Canadian writer Cherie Dimaline blends fantasy, monsters and contemporary First Nation struggles in a powerful and inventive novel... Empire of Wild seamlessly mixes realistic characters with the spiritual and supernatural. As much a literary thriller as a testament to Indigenous female empowerment and strength, Empire of Wild will excite readers with its rapid plot and move them with its dedication to the truths of the Metis community. * Book Page (starred review) *
Book Information
ISBN 9781474621601
Author Cherie Dimaline
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 28mm
