Something Wilder

Lily Wilder is one of the novel’s protagonists. In the narrative present she is 29 years old and living in Hanksville, Utah. Ever since her father Duke Wilder died seven years prior, Lily has been running her own “tourist expedition company, Wilder Adventures” (11). Through the company, Lily and her business partner and best friend Nicole help their guests “enjoy a vacation on horseback” through Canyonlands National Park (11). The work offers Lily nominal stability but it isn’t the life she imagines for herself. When Lily was young, she hoped that she would someday own and operate her family’s former business, Wilder Ranch. She loved living in Laramie, Wyoming, and spending time on the land with her horses. Duke sold the ranch shortly before his stroke and subsequent death and the aftermath of this decision leaves Lily feeling unmoored, disoriented, and directionless in the narrative present.

Lily is a strong-willed determined character who is seeking a second chance. Ever since losing Wilder Ranch and breaking up with her first love Leo Grady, she hasn’t felt like herself. In the novel’s open, Lily is trying to divine a way out of her entrapping circumstances in Utah and looking to secure a loan so she can buy back Wilder Ranch.