‘Wilderness‘ by Roddy Doyle was the Ballyroan Library Junior Book Club reading choice for January 2010.
This part family drama, part action adventure tells the story of a very modern Irish family which consists of well-meaning father Frank Griffin, his harassed second wife Sandra Hammond and their two lively sons, Johnny 12 and Tom 10 as well as Grainne, Frank’s troubled and troublesome teenage daughter from his first marriage. Grainne’s mother left the family when Grainne was 3 and has had no contact with her since.
We meet the family at a crisis point in their lives when Grainne’s refusal to take part in family life and her hostility toward her stepmother is causing difficulties. A further complication arises when Rosemary Griffin, Grainne’s birth mother suddenly announces she wants meet her. The already troubled teenager now has to come to terms with her mother’s possible return to her life. All the family is then drawn into the emotional complications arising from the crisis.
Sandra decides the best thing for the situation is for her to take the boys away on holiday. She books a Winter Safari to go husky sledding in the Finnish wilderness. Johnny and Tom learn a great deal about themselves and their relationship with their mother as they deal with the harsh conditions of the Finnish winter. Meanwhile at home Grainne and Tom are experiencing another kind of wilderness as they negotiate the emotional difficulties of their relationship.
As the story progresses Johnny and Tom learn a great deal about themselves and their love for their mother through the difficulties and dangers they experience. At home Grainne meets her mother and the meeting helps her to recognise the depth and loyalty of her father’s love for her and the importance of her place in the family. The story ends with the promise of a new beginning for all the members of this modern family unit.
There was great involvement in a lively discussion on ‘Wilderness’ and the group were generally agreed that it was an exciting read overall. They felt that the characters were real and the plot was mostly well worked out. However some did find the double plot line confusing especially at the beginning as it switched between Finland and Ireland and between Grainne’s story and that of her brothers. We all really liked the Finnish setting and characters. We looked at some books about the Sámi people of the northern Scandinavian countries and talked about their lifestyle in the harsh winter conditions. The group really engaged with the dogs and we talked about the place of the husky dogs in the people’s lives and how they worked and cooperated together. We all felt we could really picture the characters and the setting. We said that the family relationships were well done and realistic; they thought the relationship as it developed between Johnny and Tom was good especially the character changes of both boys. I asked what they thought of Grainne whom some disliked and some felt they understood why she was difficult. We all liked the character of Sandra and the fact that she was not a “wicked stepmother” The dialogue we decided was realistic overall. I asked them what they thought of the cover illustration which they liked for its unusual and mysterious depiction of a husky dog which made them want to read the book.
Marks out of 10
Hannah thought it was adventurous and gave it 9. Sophie considered it an exciting read and gave it 10. Aimee had a problem with the dual plot but still gave it 9.5. Aoife liked the book and gave it 9. Nicole said it was a really good book, she disliked Grainne and she gave it 9.5. Edward liked the character of the neighbour, he decided on 9. Joanne enjoyed the read and gave it 9.5. Ciara had a difficulty with the start but thought it was very good overall and gave it 10 out of 10. Alannah didn’t like the plot and found it boring and gave it 5. Gemma thought it was only OK and gave it 7. Rionach felt it was a bit boring and gave it 6. Kate liked it a lot and decided on full marks 10. Zoë thought it was a good adventure and also gave it 10.
