SMALL GAME

Contestants on a survival reality show face unforeseen challenges.

Like her main character, Braverman used to work for an adventure camping outfit, described in her debut memoir, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube (2016), and her wilderness know-how is put to good use in her first novel. Mara is pretty sure she has what it takes to make it through six weeks in the great outdoors—she grew up off the grid, she teaches survival skills, she lives in a dilapidated trailer deep in the woods—and the $100,000 purse waiting at the end of the season is just what she needs to leave her boyfriend and start fresh. She's one of five people cast in Civilization, dropped by helicopter into a lake in the middle of the wilderness—they don't know where—wearing clothes that could be described as "fast-fashion prehistoric, canvas tunics and matching shorts, all dyed a dusty brown. And sandals made of thin leather, so they had to walk delicately, toe first, like girls playing fairies. The idea was that they’d find one another in the wilderness, this group of strangers, and over the course of six weeks would be tasked with building a new kind of community, something pure and sustainable and right." But before community, there's food, shelter, warmth, and wild animals to worry about—along with some unexpected elements thrown into the mix by the producer, who's a real jerk, and the crew, one of whom is sweet on Mara. Mara is willing to play that game, for what it’s worth, but finds herself intensely drawn to Ashley, the only other woman in the group, clearly chosen for her magazineworthy looks rather than any scoutworthy aptitude. Braverman does a great job of developing the characters, building suspense and raising the stakes, but leaves the reader unhappily perplexed about some critical matters.

A propulsive read marred by unanswered questions.