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Small Game

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
1 of 2 copies available

A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds

Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came knocking at Primal Instinct—the survival school where she teaches rich clients not to die during a night outdoors—and even more shocked to be cast in their new show, Civilization. Now she just has to live off the land with her fellow survivors for long enough to get the prize money.

Whisked by helicopter to an undisclosed location, Mara meets her teammates: The grizzled outdoorsman. The Eagle Scout. The white-collar professional. And Ashley, the beautiful but inexperienced one who just wants to be famous. Mara's unusual, rugged childhood has prepared her for the discomforts and hard work ahead. But trusting her fellow survivors? Not part of Mara's skill set.

When the cast wakes one morning to find something has gone horribly wrong, fear ripples through the group. Are the producers giving them an extra challenge? Or are they wrapped up in something more dangerous? Soon Mara and the others face terrifying decisions as "survival" becomes more than a game.

A provocative exploration of the comforts, rituals, and connections we depend upon, Small Game is a gripping page-turner and a poignant story about finding the courage to build a new life from the ground up.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 26, 2022
      Braverman’s spellbinding debut follows a cast of five as they film an ill-fated survival-reality series called Civilization. Mara works as an instructor at a survival-style camping school, which comes easily to her after having been raised by prepper parents. She joins Civilization hoping the prize money will improve her life. Her fellow cast members, all handpicked by the show’s producers for their archetypal value, include gorgeous, inexperienced Ashley, who wants to be famous; validation-seeking Eagle Scout Kyle; gruff carpenter Bullfrog, who hopes his estranged daughter will see him on TV; and James, who books it soon after filming begins at the show’s unidentified wilderness location. Clashes with insecure Kyle ensue, though Mara doesn’t anticipate falling for Ashley, whose sweet demeanor has a dark side. Mara also surreptitiously accepts food from Tom, a crew member who takes a shine to her. Braverman does a good job demonstrating how Mara’s expertise is constantly undermined by touchy would-be survivalists both on and off the show, and how the cast members’ relationships change once things get real and the crew mysteriously disappears. With danger setting in, the author keeps up a terrific sense of suspense about whether the crew’s abandonment is intentional. Like the best TV, readers won’t want this to end.

    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      Dogsledder and memoirist Braverman's (Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube) fiction debut asks how humans interact when everything they are accustomed to having is taken away. Most people have watched reality shows--some about survival--and wondered how much was scripted or what they might do in the same situation. Braverman presents one possibility as she explores Civilization, a survival reality show set in the forests of the deep north that goes terribly wrong. Five very different strangers--wilderness instructor Mara, Eagle Scout Kyle, seemingly sweet Ashley, old-school Bullfrog, and James, the biggest cipher of them all--each with varied backgrounds, are promised a huge sum of money and armed with nothing more than their wits. When the filming crew disappears, however, the "survivors" are left to their own devices. Mara takes center stage as the characters navigate changing relationships and the real challenges of the outdoors. Kristen Sieh's narration is reminiscent of an old friend, warm and interesting, with excellent and varied characterizations. VERDICT Braverman's captivating debut novel takes several unusual turns and twists, but the themes of individuality, courage, community, trust, and love are most in focus.--Scott DiMarco

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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