If you ever wanted to start something fresh, follow a new path and reach into the unknown, then you will probably find “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed easily relatable.
All of us think about starting with a clean slate every so often. Maybe you thought about a shiny and exciting New Year resolution? Or perhaps you just feel lost and want to break free from your everyday life. Every year, millions of people in the world start January with a bunch of ideas: who they want to be, how they would like to change their lives. We all fall victim to the goal setting madness, but our plans are more often than not abandoned quicker than a sinking ship.
I feel that the thing that makes Cheryl such a unique character and makes the story a great read is that she takes action. We meet Cheryl standing in the ruins of her old life. Her marriage and family fell apart. Her mother is dead. She feels that she lost everything. But the time for crying and pity is over.
The next thing we know, Cheryl is on the hiking trail. She knows that her life is in pieces, and somehow she feels that this trip is going to set things right. While reading the book we get to follow Cheryl not only during her travels. She takes the reader into very intimate places in her mind, sharing her thoughts and struggles. It feels like there are no secrets between us. At the same time, the reader is not a companion on this journey. Cheryl is on her own, and this is what she wants. The story is shared in a natural and clean way, like a story told by one friend to another long after the events took place.
“Wild” is interesting in a way that made me turn page after page and only stop reading when there was no other option. It’s a very realistic book taking the reader into an intense, different world, which is just around the corner. It’s a story about building one’s character and living to fight another day.
I know that this particular book is very popular. If you read it, I’d love to hear what you thought about it. Feel free share your opinions in the comments!
This post refers to “Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found” by Cheryl Strayed. The book was first published in 2012.
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