Bestseller Catriona Ward returns with Nowhere Burning, her sixth novel and a journey into the perilous Rocky Mountains. It’s an enrapturing read, weaving one tale into another with such delicacy that the twists seem to sneak up on you and grab you by the throat.
After their mother’s death, Riley and her younger brother Oliver are living with “Cousin”, a man who is both reverent and unforgiving. When a strange girl appears at Riley’s window and offers an escape, Riley decides: enough is enough. Thus begins their meandering and exhausting journey to Nowhere.
Once a farmhouse, then a retreat for renowned actor Leaf Winham, Nowhere has a bloody history. A fire broke out: burning away Winham’s house, his façade, bringing his murderous crimes to light. Now, all that remains of his extravagant estate is the blackened shell of a burnt-out house and a broken-down ferris wheel, and of course, the refuge of the wild children who invite Riley to join them.
Riley and Oliver persevere through the mountains, but not before a costly mistake is made. The trust between the siblings hangs by a fraying thread, but at all costs, they have to hide the mistake from the other children. They’ve escaped hell, and now they’re home in Nowhere.
Elsewhere, Marc and Kimble, two filmmakers, are shooting a documentary on Nowhere. Rumours fly: of feral children who raid stores and dumpsters, lure other children away, and kidnap adults for their blood. Marc and Kimble might be biting off more than they can chew with this investigation. And there’s something Marc is hiding from Kimble, something to do with Nowhere, which inevitably threatened to come to light.
If it sounds almost supernatural, it very well might be. Ward’s spellbinding prose makes the imagination soar, and the lines between reality and fantasy blur into a liminal space. That moving shadow could be a mountain lion or a demon, or maybe neither. Perhaps Nowhere doesn’t simply give; perhaps it wants something in return. Like in many fairy-tales, Ward leaves much of the answer up to us.
Ward is assured, confident, and full of tricks. The plot is tight, embellished by whimsical and atmospheric imagery. Just like the Nowhere children, she lures the reader into the wild unknown with promises and illusions. It’s engaging the entire time. The characters are scary and infuriatingly at the same time they’re kind and loving. Riley’s love for Oliver is fierce and her will to survive is desperate, which is both a strength and a flaw. Personally, I love these kinds of morally grey characters, especially when there are good intentions behind their cruel actions. Catriona Ward excels at this.
Nowhere Burning evokes many well-known survival stories, like Lord of the Flies, Gone, or more recently the TV series Lost and Yellowjackets. Allusions to Peter Pan are also frequent and deliberate throughout the novel. However, Ward makes the novel her own through the fascinating characters, beautiful prose, and bittersweet conclusion. Each POV narrates through a different genre, but nevertheless transitions seamlessly into the next. The resulting story is mystifying and heart-wrenching, and will leave you aching for more. I highly recommend this novel.

Reviewer: Emma Lansdown

Nowhere Burning is published by Viper