THIS ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE

An earnest pastiche of political theorizing, travel memoir, and environmental exhortation that attempts to encourage readers to act constructively in an increasingly disconnected world.

The former editor of Cosmopolitan Australia and author of I Quit Sugar and its many sequels confronts the “itch” she feels as a result of a world beset by climate change, Covid-19, and the consequences of neoliberalism. She has made a good faith effort to integrate the changes wrought on the world by the coronavirus into a book ready for publication before the pandemic hit. No one could accuse her of inadequate research: Almost every page is peppered with quotations, statistics, and factoids, often set in the margins. While there are no sources included in the book, the author notes links to some on her website. Many others—such as Wilson's assertion that “many famous artists, writers and creatives walk to cure bipolar and constipation, or, more often than not, both (because they often travel together)”—are not readily verifiable and may take further digging by readers. The text comprises 136 miniature chapters, interwoven with frustratingly brief descriptions of hikes the author has taken in various sites in the world. Summaries of snippets of scientific research alternate with pages of advice on living a minimalist life as well as chapters about the author's personal journey, with emphasis on a trip to Crete when she was in her mid-40s to attempt a pregnancy by way of in vitro fertilization using the sperm of a 21-year-old Danish poetry student. Some of Wilson's advice is suspect: She advocates hitchhiking as well as hiking without water or a map. Her suggestions regarding frugality are sometimes excessive, as when she notes how she “started collecting butter scraps at cafes” in addition to fish bones and carcasses to make bone broth. Loosely structured at best, the disjointed narrative jumps from topic to topic every page or two, which will leave many readers adrift.

One for the fans.