Review by Sharon Brunner
Craig A. Brockman’s “Delirium Wilderness” tells a story about two boys who faced a harrowing journey of mystery, terror, survival, and steadfast friendship. The story begins at the small town of Paradise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.). Scotty visits his grandmother every summer and met a boy named Duane who appeared to be old for his age. When Scotty was not helping his grandmother, Scotty and Duane explored a bewitching forest and went on other adventures. Their friendship transcended time and mortality. A bike ride ended in being lost in delirium. After their survival of being tossed in large waves and a storm they ended up on land and at a huge mansion. There were many rooms in the mansion and the rooms numbered like infinity upon infinity The places they saw while lost looked familiar. The boys were led to believe the delirium wilderness provided the path they needed to take to return home.
Some of the themes that revealed themselves throughout the book were friendship, adventure, the importance of family and the fear of the unknown. Scotty and Duane had an endearing friendship, and both protected one another, They were concerned for the loved ones they left behind and really wanted to return home. Before they arrived at the delirium wilderness and the massive mansion, they enjoyed exploring unusual places. The mansion’s many rooms and halls sported monsters, deep penetrating darkness, beauty and wonder. The monsters scared the boys and they took steps to avoid them. They thought they fell asleep on the small boat and the boat somehow became untied and wandered out into the deep water of Lake Superior which ended up turbulent. Scotty and Duane’s journey was not a peaceful one. They fought huge waves, struggled exploring a huge mansion and ended up facing the dangers in the Delirium Wilderness.
Brockman mentioned Lake Superior, Raco, Paradise and other areas in the U.P. He lives in Tecumseh, Michigan which is east of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am very familiar with the areas in the U.P. he mentioned. I live in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Lake Superior is near the city. My husband, Don and I, have hiked, explored and four-wheeled around Raco, Paradise and other areas in the U.P. One of our favorite places to visit is the Tahquamenon Falls near Paradise. We stayed at the campground the weekend of September 21st, 2024. He also mentioned Soldier’s Lake in which we also camped at. On page 112 Brockman mentioned the Sault Locks and how the locks needed to be defended from enemy attacks. The Sault Locks are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan of which I have visited on many occasions. The U.P. is filled with many forests of which some may be of a mystical nature. I know what it’s like to be terrified when in scary places. I went on a ghost tour on the Valley Camp (a ship that was converted into a museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan). Things went well at first until this man dressed as Pennywise from Stephen King’s book “It” stood in front of me and would not leave me alone. It was unsettling how he was looking down at me. I remember being really scared when I was in a haunted house with my dad as a young child, holding onto his belt loops. The boys’ fear felt real when reading about it. The book also reminded me of one of my childhood friends. We did so many things together. One of my fond memories was when we biked around Mackinac Island and swam at the Grand Hotel.
In this book, questions about death and what happens after we die are brought to life. Many people have questions about what happens after we die including me. I liked the scenario Brockman painted about what the two boys encountered during their adventures. How they hung onto their friendship and how they looked after one another was a nice touch. I also liked how Dee, Duane’s mother, turned her life around after her father came into the picture. She quit using drugs and alcohol and hanging around questionable men, went back to school, and really got her life together. That was so good for Duane to experience. Brockman’s descriptions of glorious things the boys experienced such as the beautiful young woman who led them into the mansion brought light in a world of darkness. The Native American woman who gave Scotty and Duane moccasins and warm clothing to wear while she nursed her baby added an air of civility and mystery to the story.
Speaking of mystery and fantasy like in Brockman’s book, the Harry Potter movies and books come to mind. They were filled with monsters, magic, beautiful beings, enduring friendships, the fear of the unknown, and many fearful circumstances. In one of the movies, Harry had to escape huge spiders in a forest. Ghosts appeared where you least expected them such as the crying ghost in the bathroom. Harry and his friends remained friends from the first movie or book to the last. Hogwarts was the school in which the children practiced magic so they could be fully functioning witches and warlocks. There were always unusual and scary places to explore and escape. Another book that came to mind when reading this book was Mystekos Summer by Amy Klco. Klco created an imaginary world for the main characters in her book and that world was accessed by crossing a bridge. A scary person ruled the fantasy world. A magic necklace led Emily into the land of Mystekos. What Emily learned in the fantasy world helped her deal with what was happening in her own world. Life lessons were also learned in Brockman’s book.
I recommend this book for its adventure because of its enduring qualities such as the love of family and the importance of friends, the unanswered questions about death, and the heartbreaking and frightening episodes that made the characters likable and kept me on the edge of my seat. Brockman created a mystical character named Aaida. She appears in various places until the very end of the book and appears to be of different ages and sizes. Brockman mentioned her as a being from another realm. The episode of when Duane and Scotty experienced the time on the rowboat with high waves and a storm created the question of if they were going to make it out of that situation alive. A scary incident occurred when they ended up at a cabin, his grandmother’s cabin I believe, and some monster was trying to get them. Scotty saved the day. Brockman brought up questions about death and what happens when we die. Do we meet people we lost while living after we die? Is there a mansion with many rooms? I have heard that mentioned on several occasions about a place with many rooms. Would one of the rooms feel like home? Brockman portrayed scenarios that were bewitching and filled with mystery and acts of survival, a book that created a feeling of questioning our very existence and mortality.
Book Title: Delirium Wilderness
Author: Craig A. Brockman
