The Wilderness (Flournoy novel)

The Wilderness was published on September 16, 2025, by Mariner Books.^[1]

According to the review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received primarily "rave" reviews from literary critics.^[2] In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews described the book as "elegant and upsetting," noting that the structure of the novel made it read like a collection of short stories.^[1] Publishers Weekly, also in a starred review, called the book "a knockout" and complimented Flournoy's character work in a starred review.^[3] Library Journal also published a positive starred review, while Booklist praised Flournoy's prose.^[4][5]

The Washington Post was positive, writing that the novel's characters were realistic and that Flournoy's choice of using a first-person narrative helped immerse the reader in their minds.^[6] The New York Times positively compared the novel to Flournoy's debut, The Turner House.^[7] A review in The Boston Globe complimented the book's structure and themes.^[8] Furthermore, The New Republic wrote that the book had "broken with" the tropes found in previous novels about female friendship to great effect.^[9]

The Wilderness has been longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction,^[10] and placed on NPR's Books We Love 2025 guide.^[11]