Empire of Wild is a novel by Cherie Dimaline, first published in 2019. Set in Canada, Empire of Wild tells the story of a young indigenous woman named Joan Beausoliel, who has spent the past year searching for her husband, named Victor after he went missing in a Walmart parking lot.
After nearly giving up hope for finding him, Joan one day meets a preacher named Eugene Wolff, who looks identical to her husband. Together with her cousin, Joan works to make Eugene remember his previous life and free him from the control of a powerful conman. In the end, Victor is freed from the control of the conman. He returns to his life with Joan, whom he loves dearly.
Reviewers praised Empire of Wild for telling a tight, compelling, and "small" story and richly drawn characters. In their glowing review of the novel, NPR wrote that "[Empire of Light] is tight, stark, visceral, beautiful—rich where richness is warranted, but spare where want and sorrow have sharpened every word." Empire of Wild will also soon become a film, reflecting the novel's immense popularity.
