What Should Be Wild

Julia Fine’s What Should Be Wild is many things: a feminist fairy tale, a novel of supernatural horror, a sweet romance, a magically realistic family drama, an examination of mythology, a coming-of-age story, an ode to natural and human complexity, a literary acid trip. At its heart, however, it’s the story of trapped women. Our heroine, Maisie, is trapped in a body that grants her uncontrollable power over life and death, driving others to fear control her. Meanwhile, several of her female ancestors remain trapped in an ageless forest that offered them security from a harsh world and now refuses to let them go. Their struggles to free themselves will challenge the very nature of their reality. Fine has a funny, free-spirited voice, and characters are constructed with all the care and imagination as houses in the wood. The climax may be a touch overwhelming, but FIne’s overwhelming story is nothing short of beautiful.