The Wild Impossibility is Cheryl A. Ossola’s debut novel, but an accomplished feat it is, combing elements of mystery, historical fiction, psychological drama, and love story into a cohesive whole. Kira, the protagonist, has suffered two miscarriages. With the second she begins to have “spells” in which she feels she’s reliving someone else’s life. When these spells threaten her marriage and her job, she takes off on a spiritual journey to learn whose life she’s reliving. Split in time between the present and the past, and in setting between California (Berkeley and Manzanar, the concentration camp for the Japanese during World War II), Ossola pulls the disparate elements together seamlessly. Her prose is adept with moments of lyricism. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of the California desert. The Wild Impossibility is a charismatic tale of family history, secrets, and tragedy covering three generations with Kira struggling to comprehend it all. An excellent read, especially for covering Manzanar, a black moment in American history, with sensitivity.
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