The Wildelings, Lisa Harding
It was a big tick for me when I saw the setting of Lisa Harding’s The Wildelings – 1970s suburbs of Dublin moving to an elite university. I couldn’t wait to dive in, and it did not disappoint…
The novel opens with a sense of quiet intensity, and from the very first chapter, it’s clear this is more than a coming-of-age story and that some terrible incident will be revealed in due course. Jessica, our narrator, reflects on her past with a numb kind of regret, and I really enjoyed the immediate use of her therapy sessions as a framing device. These interludes give a thriller-like tension, and there was a nice balance with the longer, dialogue-heavy chapters, creating a rhythm that keeps the reader slightly on edge.
Harding crafts the antagonist, Mark, in a way that propels the reader. From the offset, I was desperate to get to the next chapter where he would appear, often uttering something slightly condescending or hinting towards some Machiavellian act. His presence lingers even when he’s off the page, and his gradual unmasking adds to the novel’s slow-burn suspense. Jessica herself is equally compelling. Seen through her own recollections, she feels flighty and difficult but in a way that evokes empathy.
Throughout, there is an engaging contrast between the intellectual sparring that take place between the group, ranging from art to philosophy, and the often-childlike reactions of the characters. They tend to waltz off from the pub after a spat or engage in vicious arguments. This contrast heightens the sense that these are children playing grownups – a trope of dark academia that I always enjoy – and Harding captures the performative edge of adolescence with nuance.
The ending arrives a little abruptly as Linda’s fate is finally revealed, but the final interactions between the characters have a satisfying warmth. The Wildelings is, above all, a rich character study. Every relationship was created with so much care, and I found the novel enthralling, a haunting exploration of friendships and relationships gone sour.
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