Wildfire is a harrowing tale of loss that will stay with you long after closing the book
Carrie Mac’s Wildfire is a harrowing story that explores loss and grief — and it will stay with you long after closing the book.
There are YA novels that offer a fun, cute narrative to escape into, and then there are YA novels that force readers to contend with difficult realities, like loss and grief. Carrie Mac’s Wildfire falls into the latter category, and if you’re looking for a story that will get your tear ducts working, this new release is just what you’re looking for.
Wildfire follows our main character, Annie, and her best friend (who she has unrequited romantic feelings for), Pete, as they go on a hike that ends in disaster. Pete’s only trying to get Annie to enjoy her life again, as she’s been miserable ever since her grandmother, Gigi, passed away. Unfortunately, their 10 days in the wilderness don’t go as planned — and Annie is eventually forced to face loss and grief in a way she never imagined.
Sure, Annie and Pete have been in dangerous situations before. They even have a journal chronicling all the times they’ve almost died — moments readers revisit with Annie as the story unravels. But none of those have ever been as horrifying as this trek, during which the pair becomes lost and Pete gets seriously injured. With wildfires raging, two dead phones, no maps to guide them, and hardly any medicine, it soon becomes clear that the infection festering in Pete’s wound is beyond fixing.
And Mac tackles Annie’s denial and acceptance at losing her best friend stunningly, returning to some of the biggest moments of their relationship and highlighting how unconditionally the two love each other — even if they never pursued the sort of love Annie desperately wanted to. That she’s forced to spend Pete’s final moments with him, telling him it’s OK, even as her world falls apart, is heartbreaking — but as devastating as it is, it’s hard to look away from the pages.
Mac’s writing never squirms away from difficult emotions, and the way she tackles mental illness throughout Wildfire is equally impressive. Annie’s mother took her own life years ago, and it’s clear Annie struggles with the same sort of depression, even if she has a better support system and more effective methods of coping with it. Pete’s insistence that Annie can’t let her sadness and her losses consume her is as much a lesson for her as it is for the reader. And while it by no means “cures” Annie, it gives her the strength to push forward.
When all is said and done, readers will put down Wildfire with a renewed appreciation for their own lives — and for the people they care about. Annie’s story reminds us that anyone can be taken, even by seemingly small events, and that life goes on with or without them. It’s not the most uplifting message, but it’s one that will ground readers — and perhaps enable them to think about the bigger picture instead of focusing on small day-to-day inconveniences.
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