Wanderer Springs

Remembrances of life in a small town.

Light memoirs of a woman traveling, mostly in the Western U.S., as a young single woman and then as a married woman, with different sorts of experiences.

Society of Illustrators, Dilys Evans Founder's Award Winner A New York Times Best Book of 2020 A Wall Street Journal Best Book of 2020 PRAISE "Electrifying. Extraordinary. Enigmatic and gorgeous." —The Wall Street Journal "An epic dream captured in superbly meticulous detail." —Shaun Tan "Danger, magic, surprise and awe abound in this masterly, wordless debut." —The New York Times "I love Van den Ende's passion." —Brian Selznick, New York Times Book Review STARRED REVIEWS ★ "Marvelously engrossing—a triumph." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ "Remarkable. Absolutely sui generis." —Booklist, starred review Without a word, The Wanderer presents one little paper boat's journey across the ocean, past reefs and between icebergs, through schools of fish, swaying water plants, and terrifying sea monsters. The little boat is all alone, and while its aloneness gives it the chance to wonder at the fairy-tale world above and below the waves, that also means it must save itself when it storms. And so it does. Readers young and old will find the strength and inspiration in this quietly powerful story about growing, learning, and life's ups and downs.

Set on a remote Scottish island, this “piercing, vivid, and humane story depict[s] the long aftermath of extreme domestic violence” (Kirkus Reviews). Nobody knows why John Baird, a quiet family man, took it into his head one day to pick up a shotgun and murder his wife and children. On the Scottish island of Litta, violent crime is unheard of, and the killings send shockwaves through this tiny community in which the Bairds were well-known and liked. Tommy, the only survivor of the terrible crime, has come back to Litta many years later. Faced with this reminder of the horrors that took place amongst them, the community must ask themselves again if anyone can truly know their neighbors. What drives a man to murder his own family? And to what extent is Tommy his father’s son? With unflinching candor and powerful prose, Our Fathers interrogates the damaging legacy of toxic masculinity, and reveals how family can both wound us and help us heal.

In the pitch dark of an African night, the Land Rover gets stuck and as we disembark, the touristy demonstrations of native rituals we saw an hour earlier, to appease forest gods for safe passage, became a reality. Henry, the driver, was quite nonchalant about the whole situation and instructed us in clear terms that we need to follow the defined protocol and instructions; one, we will walk in a single file with Henry in the front and Amen at the rear; two, whatever happens, no one will break the file and run, and three; stay close together, and whatever else you do, do not run! For the love of God, don’t anyone run. Cats love a running mouse, you see. It was then that Henry performed the ritual that he had demonstrated to us just an hour earlier. He picked up some grass, knotted it, broke it, and threw it over his head, muttering some prayers in his native tongue. It gave me goosebumps then. With a shout of ‘let’s go’, he just started walking. And so, the march began. Wander through all this and more. Across continents. Different habitats. On exotic travel destinations. When life is on the edge.