The wild inside : a novel

Title:

Author:

Summary:

A natural born trapper and hunter raised in the Alaskan wilderness, Tracy Petrikoff spends her days tracking animals and running with her dogs in the remote forests surrounding her family's home. Though she feels safe in this untamed land, Tracy still follows her late mother's rules: Never Lose Sight of the House. Never Come Home with Dirty Hands. And, above all else, Never Make a Person Bleed. But these precautions aren't enough to protect Tracy when a stranger attacks her in the woods and knocks her unconscious. The next day, she glimpses an eerily familiar man emerge from the tree line, gravely injured from a vicious knife wound--a wound from a hunting knife similar to the one she carries in her pocket. Was this the man who attacked her and did she almost kill him? With her memories of the events jumbled, Tracy can't be sure. Helping her father cope with her mother's death and prepare for the approaching Iditarod, she doesn't have time to think about what she may have done. Then a mysterious wanderer appears, looking for a job. Tracy senses that Jesse Goodwin is hiding something, but she can't warn her father without explaining about the attack--or why she's kept it to herself. It soon becomes clear that something dangerous is going on. The way Jesse has wormed his way into the family. The threatening face of the stranger in a crowd. the boot-prints she finds at the forest's edge. Her family is in trouble. Will uncovering the truth protect them--or is the threat closer than Tracy suspects?"-- Provided by publisher.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

290 pages ; 24 cm

Genre:

Thrillers (Fiction)

Bildungsromans.

Psychological fiction.

Subject Term:

Fathers and daughters -- Fiction.

Wilderness areas -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Alaska -- Fiction.

Publisher:

William Morrow,

Electronic Access:

More info

Publication Date:

2018

ISBN:

9780062741998

9780062742001

Publication Information:

New York, NY : William Morrow, [2018]

Call Number:

BRADBURY

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003310839	Adult Fiction	BRADBURY Jamey	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

"The Wild Inside is an unusual love story and a creepy horror novel -- think of the Brontë sisters and Stephen King." --John Irving

A promising talent makes her electrifying debut with this unforgettable novel, set in the Alaskan wilderness, that is a fusion of psychological thriller and coming-of-age tale in the vein of Jennifer McMahon, Chris Bohjalian, and Mary Kubica.

But these precautions aren't enough to protect Tracy when a stranger attacks her in the woods and knocks her unconscious. The next day, she glimpses an eerily familiar man emerge from the tree line, gravely injured from a vicious knife wound--a wound from a hunting knife similar to the one she carries in her pocket. Was this the man who attacked her and did she almost kill him? With her memories of the events jumbled, Tracy can't be sure.

Helping her father cope with her mother's death and prepare for the approaching Iditarod, she doesn't have time to think about what she may have done. Then a mysterious wanderer appears, looking for a job. Tracy senses that Jesse Goodwin is hiding something, but she can't warn her father without explaining about the attack--or why she's kept it to herself.

It soon becomes clear that something dangerous is going on . . . the way Jesse has wormed his way into the family . . . the threatening face of the stranger in a crowd . . . the boot-prints she finds at the forest's edge.

Her family is in trouble. Will uncovering the truth protect them--or is the threat closer than Tracy suspects?

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Tracy has kept a dark secret her whole life. She adheres to rules set by her late mother, and everything seems fine until she is attacked in the woods. After waking up alone, she must figure out what happened. When a new man shows up in town, Tracy feels like he is hiding something. To make matters worse, he insinuates himself into her family, and she is pulled into an alarming situation where she cannot tell fact from fiction and neither can those around her. This immersive novel is effectively told from Tracy's perspective. Not only are the situations Tracy finds herself in formidable, dangerous, and unpredictable, but so is the Alaskan setting. The ever-changing nature of the wilderness reflects Tracy's mind-set. Part thriller, part horror, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats. VERDICT Give this visceral page-turner to those looking for a thriller with a twist.-Tegan Anclade, Lake Villa District Library, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in the dense Alaska wilderness, Bradbury's quiet yet haunting debut novel is equal parts back-to-the-land adventure story and foreboding psychological thriller. Fresh on the heels of her mother's sudden death and an expulsion from school, 17-year-old Tracy spends most of her days hunting and trapping in the forest abutting her family's backcountry home and kennel. When a hulking stranger attacks her in the woods, she defends herself and almost kills him-or does she? The plot is slow but gripping: it changes course after a 17-year-old drifter named Jesse answers Tracy's father's ad for a tenant and helps take care of the dogs in preparation for the approaching Iditarod. Though Jesse and Tracy become close in more ways than one, Tracy suspects he's hiding something-especially after she realizes he lied about his past and might be connected to the person who accosted her in the woods. Bradbury builds suspense by keeping Tracy-and the reader-mostly in the dark about what's actually going on until the gruesome reveal at the end. She also adds other elements to keep interests piqued: Tracy's ability to sense her kills' thoughts adds a mystical element to the narrative, and the detailed depiction of mushing is captivating. It's a unique take on rural noir. Agent: Michelle Brower, Aevitas. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Set in the Alaskan wilderness, this debut introduces Tracy Petrikoff, the daughter of seasoned Iditarod racer; she is a musher herself, having competed in the Junior Iditarod, and she's planning to race in the Iditarod as soon as she turns 18. Tracy spends her days hunting and caring for the family's dogs. As the novel opens, her family is in crisis. Tracy's mother was recently struck and killed by a car, and her father and brother aren't coping well. Running low on cash, they have to sell several of their dogs to make ends meet. Meanwhile, an increasingly secretive Tracy hides the fact that a stranger who has moved into the shed on their property isn't quite what he appears to be. Of course, living in the wilderness can make anyone a little strange, but perhaps what has affected Tracy is more otherworldly and disturbing. VERDICT Bradbury has written a lovely and intense novel about the precarious balance of life and death, what it means to be human and fragile in a hostile environment, and, perhaps, what it means to be something other than entirely human. [See Prepub Alert, 9/25/17.]-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.