Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed ~ 2012. This edition: Vintage, 2014. Softcover. ISBN: 978-1-101-87344-1. 317 pages.
My rating: 4.5/10
In 1995 a young woman set off to solo-hike a 1000-mile portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2663-mile-long wilderness track through the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, from Mexico to Canada.
Twenty years later writer Cheryl Strayed looked back and turned her trip journal into a book. An advance copy of her book found its way to Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon, who quickly tied down the filming rights and produced a self-starring movie (see cover of my copy, left) which has subsequently done quite nicely at the box office. Oprah Winfrey also caught the buzz, and Wild became the newest must-read book, rivalling Elizabeth Gilbert’s earlier Eat, Pray, Love as the “woman power” inspirational tome of the moment.
Cheryl Strayed’s reason for the trek was not particularly unique: personal trauma calling for a self-challenging healing journey. In this case, the take-a-hike impulse was engendered by the death of her too-young mother from cancer several years earlier, the self-inflicted ending of her marriage, and an escalating heroin habit.
Wild is equal parts flashback memoir and hiking journal, emphasis on the flashback portions. We get the gritty details of the dirt-poor, country-girl childhood blessed with a totally loving mother and cursed with an abusive birth-father, an affectionate but elusively committed stepfather, two close but eventually unreliable siblings who abandon Cheryl at her mother’s deathbed, a saintly husband who cares desperately for the emotionally damaged Cheryl, episodes of casual sex engaged in while that husband all-unaware meekly tends the home fires, frequent hardcore drug use, brutal self-loathing. This woman has a ton of baggage, and the real-life metaphor of the overloaded backpack is a perfect fit.
Completely unprepared for the magnitude of the hiking aspect of her undertaking, Strayed makes some major neophyte errors: brand-new and too-small boots, way too much equipment, no prior physical conditioning. And, quite predictably, she suffers for these blunders, allowing for a sub-theme of how-wrecked-is-my-body to wind through the narrative.
The hiking journal episodes are mildly engaging, for Cheryl Strayed is an acceptable readable writer, and does ironic humour well. But this book is mostly about the emotional journey – likely why Oprah embraced it with such gushing enthusiasm – with the solitude of the days spent walking allowing for the replaying of life episodes in desperate detail, and their reorganization into the messy story of Strayed’s life, and how she got to where she was.
The glories of the wilderness she is walking through receive not much more than an occasional (though appreciative) mention, obviously overshadowed by the dramatic scenery of the memoirist’s inner life. Fellow travellers on the trail get some attention, as do people from Cheryl Strayed’s off-trail world, but it’s ultimately very much the account of a solo journey.
There is no great epiphany experienced here, though by the end of Wild Cheryl Strayed does seem to have found a modicum of peace. The Pacific Crest Trail trek was a turning point in Cheryl’s life, and she did seem to get herself sorted enough to move ahead in a positive way, so that’s something.
Did I like this book?
Yes (sort of), and no.
I liked the author’s matter-of-fact honesty regarding her more bizarre behaviours, and I easily accepted the reasons she put forward for her actions: the trauma of her beloved mother’s death and the difficulties of her childhood and teen years are legitimate reasons for a messed up adult life. Perhaps some episodes are dramatized, but that’s what writers do. They take the mundane and shine it up and rework it to make a story. Nothing wrong with that.
What I didn’t like is that I found myself frequently seriously annoyed at Cheryl Strayed for her continued bad decisions once she had ample time to learn from her past history. She obviously self-analyzed on an ongoing basis, and the best she could come up with for continuing to engage in less than intelligent behaviour is something like “I am what I am. So deal, rest of the world.”
But at least she didn’t come across as feeling like the world owed her anything, which I did appreciate. Cheryl Strayed does keep things real in that department, so perhaps she has grown through her experience after all.
This book was a vaguely unsatisfying read despite its good points, and it’s now going into the giveaway box – a rare occurrence, as most books that come into the house manage to find shelf space. (It also reinforces my opinion that anything Oprah embraces is to be viewed with delicate caution. You guessed it, I’m not what you’d call an “O” fan.)
No shortage of internet material if one is looking for second opinions and lots and lots of analysis regarding this recent “inspirational” bestseller. (Was I personally inspired? I confess I was not.)
Here are two “professional” reviews which may prove helpful if you’re mulling over going down the Wild path yourself.
Dani Shapiro’s New York Times Book Review: The High Road – Wild, a Hiking Memoir by Cheryl Strayed
Melanie Rehak’s Slate Book Review: Trail of Tears – Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Leaves & Pages 
I could hardly disagree more with these statements: they take the mundane and shine it up and make a good story….and …perhaps she has grown through her experience after all….meaning, CS did so much more than that.
Hi Valorie, as soon as I read this comment I suspected that you had experienced a personal connection to CS’s book. Just read your post Supermoon and Journeys and would like to share the link with my other readers: http://bookscansavealife.com/2012/05/06/wild/
I’m so glad you felt that you could step forward to disagree with my assessment of this book. Would you like to say more?
Anyone else?
Loved it? Found it changed your life? Or not?
Me – obviously not, but I’m just one reader in a galaxy of others. 🙂
You are so wonderfully gracious! And I’m so glad to have discovered your website – I am a new gardener and know next to nothing. CS’s memoir has been a larger than life sensation. She is about 15 years (or so) younger than I, and I wasn’t as bowled over by Wild as perhaps women her age were – maybe that is a generational thing. I appreciate her work more now as I try to write my own memoir – I have gone on to “study” her structure and technique. The stellar memoirist of my generation is with out a doubt Mary Karr and The Liar’s Club. Stunning.
I enjoyed Wild enough to read it cover to cover – and I would have bailed out if it failed to hold my interest – it was definitely readable, and I can see why it received so much hype, but it didn’t speak to me as personally as it obviously has to many others. In this case CS obviously hit all the right buttons, and good for her – a success story in the book business is a grand thing. As I said, I’m one person, and my response is unique to me and not meant to diminish whatever others get out of the book. I enjoy a lot of things which are perhaps not to others’ tastes, so it all balances out. (At least I like to think so!) 🙂
Also, didn’t mean to imply your blog is a “gardening” blog – it is not. I do love that it is books but with a botany, nature focus.
I thought when I first started blogging that this would be equal parts plant stuff & books, but as you can see that hasn’t been the case. 🙂 But I do blog about plants over on a second site associated with our perennial plant nursery: http://www.hillfarmnursery.com (In case you’re interested. 🙂 )
Hello. We know that no two people ever read the same book. Books that I have wanted to set on fire for the sheer pleasure of watching them disintegrate into a pile of ashes have brought immense pleasure to other reading friends – vive la difference. One thing I always watch out for….is it an Oprah recommendation? If so, wild horses could not make me read it unless it happens to be chosen by my book club. I’ve been disappointed one too many times. I’ve not read this book and don’t intend to as I generally avoid the “woman discovers self” genre. Far too many others on my toppling-over book pile already. I appreciated this thoughtful review.
I am very cautious re: the Oprah-approved books – though her recommendation is not necessarily a “keep clear” sign, it does make me pause, as I’ve noticed a number of her “discoveries” are a bit too simplistic in the “woman power! self indulge! you are worth it!” way – I find someone telling me I deserve to be the real me or whatever highly annoying. Doing just fine as I am, thanks so very much. Can’t stand the Oprah show – every once in a while I catch bits of it – and I never was much of a “joiner” so the O-cult has totally passed me by.
And as you say, no one of reads the same book. We all bring to our reading our own unique perspectives, and take away different things. 🙂
I got well into this book before I finally threw it across the room (metaphorically).
Yes, I was captivated by Cheryl’s personal train wreck of a life and I was cheering for her. Until she hit the trail without a clue what she was doing, with no previous learning treks, loaded down with a truckload of untried equipment (she didn’t even open the packages until the night before, in her motel room).
I’m a big fan of personal adventure trips, but when someone starts out by setting themself up to fail, I really don’t need to be along for the disaster. I left her at the trailhead.
Yup. I think the key reason for my disenchantment with Cheryl Strayed’s saga was for the very same reason. An obviously intelligent person setting herself up for avoidable grief. We all have our blind spots and stubborn refusal to give in to the inevitable on occasion, but CS went above and beyond. And the tragedy of her Mom’s death – yes, it was rotten, but who among us hasn’t faced such personal griefs and tragedies? We tend to get on with things, though ripped up inside. To use grief as an excuse for harmful-to-others behaviour…I dunno. Had a hard time with that. But CS did get it sorted to some extent by the end of her trek, which I guess was the point of the tale.
And right now (which may account for my dismissal of CS to some degree) I’m reading Jonathan Raban (Passage to Juneau) which in comparison to this thing by Cheryl Strayed is like listening to a cathedral choir singing (Jonathan) versus a slightly inebriated person crooning away a bit off-key at the Karaoke mike (Cheryl). Both are valid forms of self-expression, but there are degrees of craftsmanship in memoir, too…
About Oprah’s recommendation. I’m dismayed that my second copy of The Poisonwood Bible (my first copy vanished) has “Oprah’s Book Club” printed on the cover, but I don’t let that reduce my admiration for a book that’s on my list of all time best books ever.
I have not yet read The Poisonwood Bible. Perhaps because of that very “O” on every copy I’ve come across? But upon your recommendation I must try to remedy that soon.
Oh, do! Barbara Kingsolver doesn’t need Oprah’s recommendation to be recognised as the incredible writer she is. If you haven’t read her, you have a lot of treats in store for you.
Dear Barb,
Poor you, reading books you have to rate below 5,
Maybe you should start with Nicola Upson’s crime novels about Josephine Tey. I am very much looking forward at your reviews about them. (I like them – the Upsons – very much, although I have to read them with my Ipad next to me, to look up who is who and where is where and what is what.) (And of course I like your blogs, thank you so much for doing them.)
Anyway, it is summer, so take a chair in your lovely garden and amuse yourself, as I did.
Love
Marijke Stapert-Eggen
Holland
So nice to hear from you, Marijke. I haven’t yet read any of the Nicola Upson novels – I will make a note to give these a try. We are having a very busy summer – not doing much daytime reading in the garden, though I am managing to get through quite a few books in the evenings when I really should be in bed sleeping! I am also not writing here very much – I really should do some round-up posts, because I have read some excellent books, and have quite a pile waiting to be read. I hope you are having a lovely summer and are finding many more good books to enjoy. 🙂