Jennifer Kelland Perry has written a compelling novel of a future time where extreme weather events have irrevocably altered the world’s landscape. It is not quite dystopian; while climate change has caused a global collapse, leaving scattered populations struggling to rebuild, The Women of Wild Cove offers a glimmer of hope.

Wild Cove is governed by a strict matriarchy, one that has rigid rules based on survival. Kat is a rebellious 18-year-old who finds her loyalties tested when she discovers an intruder. The intruder, Marcus, is from another village across the sea and is searching for medicine rumored to be concocted by the women of Wild Cove. Marcus’s wife and son are dying as are many of the villagers, and he is desperate to get the medicine that can save them. Kat keeps Marcus’s presence a secret, against the rules of her elders, risking her own future.

The women in Wild Cove live on a tight schedule, tending to newborns and children, attending classes, doing chores, and participating in ritual gatherings. Kat chafes at being told what to do and when to do it, particularly when it comes to caring for the newborns and children. She does not have maternal instincts and dreads being part of the breeding program. Kat is definitely a character I could relate to, given my own lack of desire to have and raise children as well as my tendency to question authority.

The Women of Wild Cove is told from both Kat’s and Marcus’s points of view which adds to the tension of the novel. You know why Marcus is trying to get the medicine, why he withholds information from Kat when they finally meet. You know why Kat keeps Marcus a secret from her elders, why she wants to trust and help him. You suspect that things will go awry. Trust is betrayed, and the matriarchy is challenged.

The more I learned about the Wild Cove matriarchy, the more I was both thrilled and, at times, appalled by its methods of survival. In this society, men are essentially chattel, and the novel gives rise to so many questions about whether this matriarchy is a fair and just society. It definitely is a society trying to survive in a harsh and unforgiving world and, in that light, its rigidity and rules make a lot of sense.

I see a glimmer of hope in Marcus, in him becoming part of the community. He is the opportunity for trust to be rebuilt.

I was so fascinated by this world that Jennifer created that I asked her about her research.

Marie: The details of the matriarchy that you provide in your novel are rich and intriguing. What research did you do to create the matriarchy in Wild Cove? 

Jennifer: “I did do research concerning rural life and homesteading to include farming, fishing, foraging and sustainability, and how that might look in a future world, especially Newfoundland with its new and warmer climate.”

Marie: I did find the use of men as mere peons and/or breeders disturbing. I understand that throughout history, women have been (and often still are) treated and portrayed no better. What made you decide to have the men at Wild Cove be so subservient to the women? 

Jennifer: “The entire idea for the matriarchal angle of the plot came to me as a “what if” scenario. I made it more possible by using the continental war between the US and Canada as the main cause of high mortality in the male population, as two thirds of the troops that left Newfoundland to fight were men, and many of them didn’t return. This left mostly women in charge for governance. […]

“I myself find it disturbing too, that this could ever actually happen. But I also think there is merit in the matriarchal ideology, that the male species with their “careless stewardship, greed for money and power and propensity for violence and aggression” have mucked things up and these women were trying to fix it, at least on their island.”

Many thanks to Jennifer for answering my questions. I hope this review has piqued your interest in picking up a copy of The Women of Wild Cove. It is available on Amazon in print, ebook and audiobook, and on Bookshop in print, and at Barnes & Noble in print and ebook.

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Thank you for reading! As a friendly reminder: I’m participating in the 2026 Knit for Food Knit-a-Thon on April 11, 2026. I’ll be knitting for about 12 hours (just try and stop me). One-hundred percent of the donations will go to Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, World Central Kitchen, and Meals on Wheels.

If you want to support me, here is the link to my team: Knit for Food Knit-a-Thon 2026–Team Marie. Please know that no donation is too small. More of us are feeling the pinch these days so anything you can give towards these worthy causes will be greatly appreciated.