At the Edge of the Woods

March 6, 2023
In Bromwich’s subtle debut, set in an unspecified period with horse-drawn carriages, a middle-aged woman leaves everything behind to live in the woods. Laura Mantovani resides in a secluded cabin outside an Italian village, where she ekes out a quiet existence, translating and tutoring on behalf of the locals, and falling into a diffident romance with a dashing waiter named Vincenzo. Then, after Laura’s friend Héloïse unexpectedly visits, the reader learns Héloïse had helped Laura escape her domineering husband, Julien. After Héloïse departs, and with Vincenzo aloof, Laura becomes overwhelmed by her isolation. Increasingly dependent on laudanum and subject to strange, visionary fevers, she yields to a madness that opens her to the allure of the forest, “no longer beholden to the chains and responsibilities of man, but to the perfect harmony of the natural world, where everything has its place, and no rock or broken twig is without purpose.” Peril eventually arrives in the form of dangerous wolves and even more dangerous hunters, but the developments will come too late for many readers. It’s a slow burn, though it works as a fine portrait of a woman’s communion with an untamed wilderness. Agent: Matthew Turner, RCW Literary.

Starred review from December 1, 2023

In British journalist Bromwich's impressive debut novel, Laura Mantovani rents a secluded cottage at the edge of the Italian Alps. Laura's landlord agreed to rent to her only because she promised that her husband will soon join her. In reality, she's fled her abusive marriage to a controlling nobleman and is just barely supporting herself by offering tutoring and translating services to the mostly unfriendly residents of the nearby village. Laura cherishes her time walking in the forest and tending to her small garden and, for a bit, it looks like nature is beginning to heal her. However, when she falls ill and becomes increasingly dependent on alcohol and laudanum, her fragile mental state begins to disintegrate--a decline spellbindingly portrayed by narrator Gemma Dawson. Dawson's expert pacing allows listeners to absorb and appreciate Bromwich's stylized but tight prose and lyrical cadence, as well as her stirring blend of the natural and supernatural realms. VERDICT Recommend Bromwich's completely original slow burn of a novel with its beguiling protagonist, so perfectly captured by narrator Dawson, to those who appreciate gorgeous prose, unique narrative structures, and feminist themes.--Beth Farrell

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