A History of Wild Places

A car breaks down near Pastoral, a reclusive off-grid community hidden deep in the woods. The incident draws Travis Wren, a searcher with an uncanny ability to find missing people, who is investigating the years-old disappearance of children's author Maggie St. James. Inside Pastoral's borders, three residents - Theo, Calla, and Bee - maintain their isolated way of life while enforcing strict rules about contact with the outside world. The community's founding principles and daily routines revolve around self-sufficiency and protection from external threats. Through parallel timelines and shifting perspectives, the story examines the blurred lines between fact and fiction, reality and imagination. The novel combines elements of mystery, magical realism, and psychological suspense while exploring themes of memory, belonging, and the stories people tell themselves to survive.

Readers describe this as an atmospheric mystery that starts strong but loses momentum. The first third captivates with its eerie cult compound setting and compelling premise about missing persons. The prose style and dark forest atmosphere earn frequent mentions in positive reviews. Readers noted: - Vivid descriptions of forest life - Strong character development for Travis and Theo - Effective build-up of tension Common criticisms: - Plot becomes confusing and meandering halfway through - Too many perspective shifts - Ending feels rushed and unsatisfying - Questions left unanswered Several reviewers mentioned similarities to M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and found the plot twists predictable. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.89/5 (52,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (5,800+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (300+ ratings) One frequent Goodreads comment: "Beautiful writing but the story doesn't deliver on its promising start."

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten A documentary filmmaker leads a team to investigate a remote village where all residents vanished without explanation in 1959, uncovering dark secrets as reality blurs with paranoia.

The Searcher by Tana French A retired detective moves to a remote Irish village and becomes entangled in the case of a missing local teen while confronting the isolation and mysteries of rural life.

In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt A colonial-era woman becomes lost in the woods and encounters a series of strange characters in a narrative that blends folk horror with psychological suspense.

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas Students at an isolated experimental college face unexplained occurrences and mounting dread as they discover the institution's true purpose.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert A teenager searches for her missing mother, leading her into a supernatural world connected to her grandmother's collection of dark fairy tales.

🌲 Author Shea Ernshaw based some elements of the story on real-life communes from the 1960s and 1970s, including their isolation and self-sustaining practices. 📚 The book blends multiple genres, including magical realism, mystery, and psychological thriller, creating a unique narrative style that sets it apart from traditional missing person stories. 🏡 Pastoral, the fictional commune in the novel, reflects actual historical communes where people sought to escape modern society and create alternative lifestyles away from technology and urban environments. 🔍 The protagonist Travis Wren's ability to find missing persons by touching their belongings draws from the concept of psychometry—the supposed ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. 📖 The novel was published in 2021 as Ernshaw's adult fiction debut, following her success as a young adult author with books like "The Wicked Deep" and "Winterwood."