Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
By Cheryl Strayed
(Knopf, Hardcover, 9780307592736, March 2012, 336pp.)

The Short of It:

Disappointing and at times utterly ridiculous. I had no idea that the adventure I’d get would include a sexcapade in the forest. Apparently “WILD” has multiple meanings.

The Rest of It:

This is not one of those times where the hype ruined it for me because I picked it up before Oprah selected it for her book club and I went into it with a completely open mind. BUT…it was a complete fail for me.

After losing her mother to cancer and divorcing what seemed like the most supportive husband ever, Strayed decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. The idea comes to her after seeing a book on the subject and since she doesn’t seem to have anything else going for her, why not? She is essentially homeless as she can’t figure out where she wants to settle down and without a job to tie her down, the decision is easy. She’s in her mid-twenties and healthy, it can’t possibly be that hard, right?

It’s not unheard of for a non-hiker to hike a trail like this one. Lots of people find closure and peace of mind on the trail. Stripping yourself down to the bare essentials, pain and hunger all have their place in clearing away the cobwebs so Strayed’s decision to hike the trail, was not that unusual. However, I expected her story to be about her coming to terms with her mother’s death. After all, that is why she set out for the trail in the first place. Instead, what I got is a silly book about a woman who is just a little too full of herself.

Here are just a few reasons why this book falls into the ridiculous category:

• The contents of her pack included an entire package of condoms. Really?
• Her decision to hike alone. Really not safe and in fact, stupid.
• Her care packages to herself  included sexy lingerie for her potential hook-ups with strange men. Okay, she said it was for her to feel good but when you pack an entire box of condoms you’ve got to to wonder.
• The possibility of sex on the trail is of great concern to her. Not her shredded feet or the lack of boots that fit.
• The actual sex that takes place and her getting a kick out of being able to attract smelly men on the trail. Ick.
• Ahem, the drug use. She was a hard-core heroin user before the trip and if my memory is correct, manages to find drugs at least once while taking a break from the trail.

Clearly, there was not enough hiking and true self discovery for me to take this book seriously. It veered off into numerous directions and although I felt for her at the beginning of her story, I had lost all respect for her by the end of the book. The writing is choppy and I didn’t care for her self-absorbed nature. Every thought seemed to turn towards sex or the possibility of sex or had something to do with her looks. I got tired of it. You are hiking and haven’t showered in days. How can you be concerned with your looks? Seems like more important things should have been a concern.

I can’t recommend this one. It’s not what it’s described to be. I don’t feel that she really got the closure she needed and it angers me to see it flying off the shelves just because Oprah picked it for her club.

Trust me, it’s not all that.

Note from Ti: I checked out some of the interview footage on Oprah’s site and Strayed is not at all the person she appears to be in the book. Maybe it’s just hard to write about yourself. Maybe it’s a case of horrible editing. Needless to say, if she stumbles across this review I hope she doesn’t throw a boot at me.

Source: Borrowed
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