Constant Reader book review by Angie Barker

I read Cheryl Strayed’s novel, “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” and I found the inspiration I needed.

It’s been a couple of months since my back surgery, and I’ve been working hard to strengthen my core. That makes me sound much, much, much cooler than I actually am. I hope for one second you imagined me in a montage of pumping iron and doing bicycle crunches. Montage Me is super impressive. The truth is much more mundane; I’ve been walking at least 2 miles every day. In fact, the repetitive circles got to be downright boring. I walked the same streets over and over. I saw the same trees and the same squirrels and I was losing motivation quickly.

Strayed grew up in northern Minnesota, attended the University of Saint Thomas and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in English and women’s studies. Basically she loves all the same things I do, and we should be best friends immediately so we can spend weekends reading Caitlin Moran articles while draining pitchers of spiked lemonade.

Strayed’s novel is about her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the wake of her mother’s death and the dissolution of her marriage. Strayed was only 22 when her mother passed from cancer leaving a hole in their family and in Strayed’s identity. Isolated from her siblings and abandoned by her stepfather, Strayed takes solace in substance abuse and sexual exploits.

“Wild” has a dark and sad beginning but Strayed’s writing is frank and unapologetic. This is her journey of self-reflection and you can feel her desire for authenticity. Vanity is not an issue. In fact, at times she is a downright unlikable heroine who makes it difficult for the reader to continue rooting for her. And she wrote it that way. On purpose. Reading the beginning of “Wild” is like watching a horror movie where the sorority blonde walks into the dark basement to check the fuse box when the lights go out and despite all my screaming “don’t go down there,” she can’t hear me because that’s not how film works and she will definitely be murdered. Strayed’s mistakes aren’t those of a horror bimbo; they just elicit the same response. “Don’t go down there, Cheryl!”

They are self-destructive and dangerous but they are the experiences that made her Cheryl Strayed (she literally changed her name during her divorce) and they are told in an honestly raw narrative.

The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles and runs from Mexico to Canada including California, Oregon and Washington. Strayed began her 1,100-mile journey at the Mojave Desert and finished when she crossed the border into Washington state. She spent months hiking deserts, snowy mountains and bear-filled forests, but her biggest challenge was inside herself. She was on a journey, or rather a hike, of self-discovery. She hikes her demons out by shedding unnecessary weight both physically and metaphorically. The PCT is littered with her baggage. She fights for every victory and nightly takes an inventory of her scars, both old and new. She is amazing. And tough. And brave.

And inspiring. I decided to start my own journey right here in Albert Lea. I want to walk on every street in the city limits before the new year. I’m almost halfway finished. It has reinvigorated my walking and given me the chance to really explore my hometown. There are round houses in Albert Lea, and, yes, I used the plural. They amaze me and will probably get me arrested when the homeowner calls the cops on the weird stranger slowly walking by their house with a creepy expression on her face.

“Wild” was an Oprah’s Book Club 2.0 selection in 2012 and the film adaptation, starring Reese Witherspoon, is opening on Dec. 5.

 

Albert Lea resident Angie Barker is an avid reader and has a degree in English literature from MSU-Mankato. Email her at zoller@hotmail.com.