Cheryl Strayed's Wild
Last year my sister and I started a new annual tradition--Thanksgiving Sister Book Club, where we read a book before Thanksgiving and then go and talk about it over froyo (or whatever). I like to pick a book I wouldn't normally read, and Strayed's memoir about hiking the Pacific Coast Trail after the death of her mother and after a divorce is definitely on that list. But it had gotten some great reviews, and I liked her writing on Dear Sugar, so it seemed like a good choice. And . . . it's a good book, I guess? Great writing, totally evoking the experience of hiking the trail when COMPLETELY UNPREPARED TO HIKE A TRAIL. I mean, this book is like Annie Dillard meets Stephen King, seriously. I honestly wanted to shake Strayed and be like "stop being a moron already" more than once. It's frustrating how stupid she was! I don't even know how to rate this, I mean it's a solid book, but I don't feel enlightened or inspired or even particularly glad I read it. B/B+?
I have decided that this book is a "lowest common denominator" bonding book. Like the story is broad enough that everyone can "feel inspired" but about halfway through I got bored and thought that the writing was forced-feeling. Once I figured out she wasn't going to just fall off a cliff or get brutally raped by the hitch hiking and free drink accepting. Actually, I think I stopped clenching my jaw when she finally took some weight out of that freaking pack!
ReplyDeleteThe whole second half of the book is book burning and "realizations" and then it has a nice tidy ending which I think is lamesville. It's like Eat, Pray, Love but with more walking.
I bet it was perfect for sister book club, though - equal parts bitching and discussion fodder!
HA YES, good points all. We both were horrified by the entire thing, if I recall, and thought Strayed was kind of annoying.
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