In a Wide Country takes place across the prairie provinces of Canada. The book starts in Winnipeg, where 12-year-old Jasper and his model mother Corinne are situated after Jasper’s father died years ago in a plane crash. After Corrine begins a relationship with Dean, things turn dark and sticky in ways Jasper doesn't understand. Corrine and Jasper take a few belongings and drive around the country, never settling anywhere for more than a few days. Whisked out of his home, Jasper begins to discover many things about life and Corinne. After an undetermined amount of time, they land in Edmonton, where they soon befriend Jackie (a fellow model) and Nick (Jackie’s blind boyfriend).

This book is great. Green’s writing is clear and it describes things beautifully. Jasper's innocence helps to create a nuanced portrayal of mental health and the effect it has on friends and family. Jasper replicates relationships he has had with other people, and often ends up in lonely, negative situations. Sometimes this makes for a difficult read, but I liked the fact that in this book a child is shown to have real, sometimes dark, emotions and problems. The true extent of this book’s genius and Corrine’s problems is not revealed until the very end of the book, when one can look back on Jasper’s childhood free from the haze of youth.

In a Wide Country is an excellent story about the uncertainty of growing up, and it is an apt portrayal of relationships and mental health. The rolling countryside of Alberta and Manitoba in the 1960s is a pleasant surprise compared to the American settings of most books, with their flashy and dramatic plots.