Rebecca K O'Connor

We Were Wilder Rebecca K O'Connor

An experiment in "re-wilding" the western United States and reviving the environment seems a stunning success -- at first. A virus spread by the predators and prey relocated and now thriving in the West devastates the adult human population, raging out of control and reshaping the county. Cordoned off to separate the now much smaller populace from the dangers of virus-spreading wildlife, 100 years later, "National Park West" has become as wild as and even more dangerous than it was when Lewis and Clark first mapped the West. When Imogen "Genny" Jones, a 23-year-old headstrong virologist hears rumors of a vaccine at an abandoned CDC lab, she sets out on a journey to find a cure. Walking 700 miles through the now forbidden wilderness, she struggles to survive ravenous predators, harsh weather, starvation, and sickness. Finding companionship in a savvy feral dog and an orphaned cheetah cub, she also discovers the wonder of the new wild, strength, and peace. Yet, she soon discovers that her world may need a lot more than a cure to a virus and she may not be the hero it needs.