what i'm reading: wild

This book was not what I expected but I still really enjoyed it. I was looking for a good nature/adventure/hiking related book, I live close to the Pacific Crest Trail, and I am getting more and more into hiking so I was drawn to this book because everything about the way it is marketed and described led me to believe it was a book about a women's journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. Well, it is but it isn't.

Cheryl Strayed is a famous author, this book was a New York Times Bestseller, and it has been a part of a ton of book clubs. There is a reason for all of the above, it is an incredibly well written memoir about a woman who deals with tremendous grief and loss while taking a monumental journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed writes in a voice that is honest, you feel as if a best friend is telling you this story as you read it. She writes about grief and loss in such poignant ways but still, all through this book I was wanting more about the trail and adventure and less about her incredible story and I felt guilty for that. That was partially my own fault for not looking into this book more before picking it up. Because of this, I was slightly bias as I read this book. What I wanted it to be was not what it was and that made it hard for me to love the book.

And yet, it is a book that is probably worth loving because, as I said before, she really is an incredible writer. I did feel, through most of the book, as if she was my best friend telling me about the hardest parts of her life, so honestly and candidly. I do recommend this book, how she copes with the grief and loss with her life, the choices she makes (both good and bad), and what she learns and discovers are all moving and at times inspiring.

But if you are looking for a book that is focused on nature, hiking, and the Pacific Crest Trail, this is probably not what you are looking for. So much of this book is spent with her reflecting on who she was before the trail, and while it is beautifully written, I have a hard time calling this a book about the PCT. The trail is a main character but it is by no means the main character in this story.  It is a gorgeous book that deals with loss, grief, and change and it is about a woman who uses the trail to help her cope with all of those things. If you are looking for a memoir, this is a gorgeous one that I highly recommend.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

xoxo,
kat