WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail– CHERYL STRAYED (Author)
I know I am super late writing this review and I am pretty sure most of you must have already read the book and also seen the movie but better late than never…right??
This is a story of redemption. At 22 Cheryl’s mother was diagnosed with last stage lung cancer and her death shatters the whole family especially her. Cheryl’s marriage was on the verge of breakup as she cheats with other man and it hit rock bottom when she started doing heroin. 4 years later with nothing left to lose, she makes an impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all alone. With no previous experience and a monster backpack she starts a journey with an intention to put her life back together.
The book is well written and you find two stories running parallel to each other. Cheryl’s personal life and that of her hike along the trail. I really enjoyed the hike details more than her personal life. I did feel sorry for her ex husband though. Mostly everyone who met her on the trail was smitten by her and wanted to help her in any way possible. I wonder if all hikers are that friendly.
The journey is written in such descriptive and deep way that I felt as if I was hiking with her on the trail and could feel the weight of the heavy backpack and the pain of walking with blistered,bruised feet in wrong sized shoes. I found myself googling and seeing the places she mentions in the book and the views are breath-taking.
I felt there wasn’t much detail about her personal closure and the ending though good could have been better. I was hoping to read in detail how her hike healed her but the few paragraphs did not do complete justice.
Overall it is a well written and an inspiring book about an amazing life experience. Sometimes when we hit rock bottom we have to rediscover ourselves in order to survive and this book talks about how she did it. This books also makes you want to have a hiking experience of your own.
I am now excited to see the movie and I hope that it has done justice to the book. For those of you who haven’t watched it, here is the trailer WILD MOVIE TRAILER.
Till then,
Happy Reading!