The Wilderness

The stimulating sophomore effort from National Book Award finalist Flournoy (The Turner House) follows five Black women over two decades of soul-searching and turmoil. The nonlinear narrative begins in 2008 with Desiree, a young waitress in Los Angeles, feeling unmoored after the death of her grandfather, who raised her along with her sister, Danielle, from whom she’s estranged. Seeking a fresh start, Desiree moves to Manhattan a few years later. There, she stays with her wealthy childhood friend Nakia, a restaurant manager, and considers reconciling with Danielle. The pair’s other friend, influencer and graphic designer January, who is pregnant, contemplates asking the father, her first and only partner, to relinquish his rights to their child so she can explore what else life has to offer. In 2019, university librarian Monique, another member of the friend group, blogs about her school’s unwillingness to acknowledge its historical role in the slave trade. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Nakia generously supports her staff but doesn’t make a show of virtue signaling (“She didn’t aspire to be known as good—she loved Monique but had no desire to become an Internet Person”), all the while wondering how she might find fulfillment. Flournoy’s pages radiate with intelligence as her characters attempt to shape their lives on their own terms. It’s a knockout. Agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group. (Sept.)