Reviews

ohhh my god. I'm shaking. I am developing secondhand hypothermia from this good goD.
PT: hiking, wolves, *winter*

WIL
1) short. I'm trying to hit my goal for the year, and this is exactly what I needed as a buffer just in case I don't finish all these other books I'm reading. Security in goal! Which is ironic bc that's the exact OPPOSITE of this plot.
2) physically couldn't look away. It's been a while since I've been so...entrapped by a story. I was gritting my teeth for 14 out of 16 pages. Couldn't even convince myself to get the tea started while I was reading. Couldn't will myself to leave this book for the four seconds it would take to turn on the kettle. Good god. This is an injection of highly concentrated suspense.
3) what not to do in hiking 101. DON'T go hiking in Yukon Canada by yourself. Just don't. (Love me a good hiking story! Even...even if it's highly cautionary and ends terribly for the MC.)
4) Jack and his dogs. I love the way Jack London writes about dogs and wolves. It's so well done. He obviously pays really close attention to their behavior. J'adore.
5) "The trouble with him was that he was not able to imagine. He was quick and ready in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in their meanings." This and other lines like it. Thought-provoking as heck. Perfect for middle school creative writing classes.
6) interesting writing tactics. The obsession with temperature was wildly clever for this poor traumatized idiot wandering the Yukon alone.
7) A picture of survival madness. I don't often (if ever) see this in writing anymore. There's not much mention of the raw instinctual survival techniques and ideas that flood people's minds as they realize their dire circumstances. Dark as it is, I find those stories fascinating. The clarity with which people can process their situation when it's absolutely life-or-death is incredible... It feels much more real than most other stories that dwell in the realm of cushioned existences. I love that it's genuine and pure, REAL human experience. Man vs. nature. J'adore.
8) i'M SuRe I'LL bE FiNe. I love idiot explorers. They're so ridiculous and endearing. See also: Robyn Davidson, Thor Heyerdahl, Mark Watney, Piscine Patel etc.

WIDL
1) I'm. I'm processing this all.,,, give me a minute.

Neutral Ground
1) just...yikes. Didn't really know what I was getting myself into. seiughfoqihafo. This is, turns out, NOT a happy story. Gotta be in the right mindset for this.
2) Detached tone. Don't get me wrong, this was TOTALLY the right call. But it's here in neutral ground because the readers miss out on a whole spectrum of the experience. It's so to-the-point that it feels a little lacking in humanity.