Book Review: In Wilderness

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In the winter of 1966, Katherine Reid receives a shattering diagnosis. Debilitated by a terminal and painful illness, Katherine moves to an isolated cabin deep in Georgia’s Appalachian Mountains. There, with little more than a sleeping bag, a tin plate, and a loaded gun, she plans to spend the few short months remaining to her in beautiful but desolate solitude. Her isolation brings her peace, until the day she realizes the woods are not as empty as she believed. A heartbeat in the darkness. Breathing in the night. Katherine is not alone. Someone else is near, observing her every move.

Twenty-year-old Vietnam veteran Danny lives in the once-grand mansion he has dubbed “Gatsby’s house.” Haunted by the scars of war and enclosed by walls of moldering books, he becomes fixated on Katherine. What starts as cautious observation grows to an obsession. When these two lost souls collide, the passion that ignites between them is all-consuming—and increasingly dangerous.

Suffused with a stunning sense of character and atmosphere, Diane Thomas’s intimate voice creates an unforgettable depiction of the transformative power of love, how we grieve and hope, and the perilous ways in which we heed and test our hearts.
My review:  Wow, this book will have you wanting to reach the end the moment you start it!
It's powerful, raw, strange, disturbing ~ like a car wreck ... you try NOT to look, but you catch yourself craning your neck to take a peek anyway!

I wasn't so sure about the story plot at the beginning - with Katherine seemingly unsure about how to handle her illness and modern medicine.  Her troubles lead her to living on her own in the middle of a vast wilderness and she soon realizes that she's not. 

The characters, Katherine and Danny, are a little bit odd, not going to lie.  But in their oddity, they bring something unique to the table - a sense of belonging with each other and knowing that no matter how lost you are in the world, whatever is troubling you, there is always something bigger than yours and together, a possibility of healing. 

Hang on to the edge of your seats -this book will take you for a ride!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!