PRE-READING
Sarah Goodwin writes some very good stories about people being stuck in one place, so when I was looking for something a little different for my Trapped in Place theme week, this seemed like a good choice.
Twelve contestants, a remote island just below the Arctic Circle, and a year to survive on what they can grow or earn through challenges set by the production company. What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot, as it turns out.
POST-READING
The blurb gives us a story about a group discovering a body, suspecting there's a killer among them and desperately trying to get home. That's not quite the story I read.
After a terrible storm, the contestants discover a stranger sabotaging them. A struggle follows, and the stranger ends up dead. Panicking, underfed and not thinking particularly clearly, they decide that the sensible thing to do is disappear into the wilderness for a while. Surely, when they're eventually found, everyone will just be relieved they're alive and won't ask too many questions about the death?
Yes. Well.
This is a much heavier book than the blurb suggests. Several of the twelve contestants die, and the story doesn't shy away from the physical consequences of trying to survive in such an unforgiving environment. Exposure and illness take their toll; people who have been starved for too long can suffer terribly when they finally have access to food; and one character develops frostbite which leads to a particularly unpleasant deterioration of their extremities.
It's tough reading in places, and I'd give readers a heads-up that this is considerably more graphic and bleak than the premise might suggest.
Having said that, I really enjoyed it. The pacing is excellent, and the practical details of survival seemed to make sense as I was reading. I'm guessing Sarah has done her research, because the consequences of the characters' decisions feel convincing rather than conveniently arranged to move the plot along.
One character is experiencing the early stages of MS, and the symptoms and attacks felt consistent with that, too. It's an important part of their experience without feeling as though the condition has simply been added for dramatic effect.
I don't want to spoil the story by saying too much more, but this is an effective, fast-moving survival novel. Just be aware that the book you're getting is not quite the one the blurb appears to promise!
RECOMMENDATIONS
For another story about people taking part in a survival reality show, try The Last One by Alexandra Oliva. For television, The Wilds brings together young people stranded in an unforgiving environment, with secrets and complications lurking beneath the surface.
MUSIC PAIRING
“Ship to Wreck” — Florence + The Machine. A rather fitting soundtrack for people whose attempts to survive seem to involve making things considerably worse for themselves.
VIBE CHECK
Colour palette: Ice grey, storm-cloud blue, dark sea green and the stark white of snow.
Soundtrack: Howling wind, crashing waves, the creak of shelter and the constant sound of something being battered by the weather.
Season: Deep winter, when daylight is scarce and the cold is relentless.
Mood: Isolated, tense, bleak and determined.
Scent: Salt water, damp clothes, smoke and the earthy smell of things growing in difficult conditions.
Texture: Wet wool, rough timber, frozen ground, stiff fingers and the unforgiving bite of ice.
TAROT CARD PULLED — FIVE OF PENTACLES
The Five of Pentacles is a card of hardship, deprivation and vulnerability. It speaks of what happens when the things we need to keep ourselves safe and well are suddenly out of reach.
For the contestants, survival isn't just about finding food and shelter. It's about the physical and emotional consequences of prolonged hardship, and the way people can become increasingly vulnerable when their basic needs aren't being met.
It's also a reminder that survival is not always a matter of willpower. Sometimes the conditions are simply too harsh, and determination alone can't protect you from everything.
Cast Away publishes on 3 December 2026. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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