The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

Charlotte Wood’s The Natural Way of Things (2016) is a dark, dystopian novel that takes aim at contemporary misogyny and gender-based societal double standards. Largely focused on the impressions of protagonists Verla and Yolanda, the story follows the imprisonment in an outback compound of a group of women who are revealed to all be tied to high-profile sex scandals. With a life consisting of forced labour and poor living conditions, the women are left to wonder as to what is in store for them and as to what authority has placed them in such a situation. With a sparse, nightmarish desert setting, reminiscent of the Australian outback of Kenneth Cook’s Wake in Fright (1961), the author creates a truly menacing atmosphere, augmented by the frightening ambiguity as to who holds overarching power over the compound. The novel’s treatment of its primary themes can be heavy-handed at times, and some readers may prefer a more nuanced approach; however, one suspects that this very obvious way of dealing with these themes is the author’s intention.

 

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