The Vaster Wilds

A stunningly beautiful fable-esque story in the style of Maggie O'Farrell.

A young servant girl runs in the middle of the night from a starving, disease ridden English colony on the James River in 1600s Virginia. She's running from her mistress, but also from the darkness in her past, and hopefully, towards the safety of French Canada.

Along the way she deals with starvation, injury, disease, animals, other humans, her failing believe in god and the memories of the past.

The girl (named Lamentations, but she admits herself she does not fit this name) is a resourceful and clever and endearing character, and her development, alone as she is in the story and in the wilds is artfully done.

Groff is a true master of the word.