RADIO VÉRTÉ
~Presents~
A PLACE OF PARADOX
A Literary Fiction Podcast by Cory Zimmerman
~SEASON ONE~
THE WILD WIND
A Novel by Cory Zimmerman
The Wild Wind is an American gothic tale of a woman born and raised on the grounds of a psychiatric institution—not as a patient, but the daughter of the asylum’s farmer—who learns of love and loss while grappling with the question of what it means to be sane when insanity is the norm.
“What’s to be sane in the garden of madness?”
That's the question haunting Sarah, a centenarian writing about her life growing up at the asylum on the bank of the Illinois River. After a long-tormented life, Sarah intends to commit, after completing a typewritten manuscript, spoken to a man named Sam. Through a lens of lore and myth—the secrets that shaped Sarah’s twisted and mysterious life are revealed.
In Sarah's labyrinthine attempt to find healing and peace, she deconstructs the most transformative moments of her life. It's a century as well as an existence punctuated by profound hardship and survival—one that ultimately leads to the conclusion: “Sanity is but paper in a world consumed by fire.”
The Wild Wind is both plot- and character-driven, a refreshingly unique story with an equally unusual structure and lyrical prose. Sarah's account is honest, intellectually intriguing, and emotionally compelling—shining light on the dark side of American society and history— inspiring readers to look at themselves and the world in a new way.
