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A review by selendrea
The Hike by Drew Magary
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Although this book is outside of what I normally read, I was incredibly excited to pick up The Hike on a glowing recommendation. I truly enjoy "weird' and mind-bending stories, and everyone was raving about how surreal, funny, and excellent this book was. I... sadly have to disagree.
Let me first start with the positives! Magary attempts to take a new spin on the classic Alice in Wonderland trope, in which a regular person finds themselves transported into a fantasy world. I found myself excited to learn what odd character or situation the main character, Ben, would stumble into next. I also enjoyed the inclusion of humor throughout the story. Ben first starts as quite a bland character without much personality, but I appreciated that he develops quite a bit through his journey. Some of my favorite passages included learning more about his memories and past.
The book, however, loses me at it's plot. As aforementioned, this tale was incredibly reminiscent of previous work. I've read this story before. Man falls down a hole, experiences horrors perhaps from his own subconscious (Silent Hill much?), grows to appreciate his regular life, etc. etc. etc. I was trying so hard to find the connection between Ben's experiences and his psyche. I wanted the many situations he found himself in to have greater meaning than they did, but by the end of the book, they just felt like random, disjointed sequences. I feel that if everything had more congruency and connection, this would have been a stronger novel.
The plot did involve a twist or two that I did not expect, but I'm not entirely sure that Magary stuck the landing. I found myself shrugging at the last two chapters, wishing that the end of these trials and tribulations left me feeling more satisfied. Even as a lover of all things weird and trippy, I suppose this plot just didn't quite click for me.
Let me first start with the positives! Magary attempts to take a new spin on the classic Alice in Wonderland trope, in which a regular person finds themselves transported into a fantasy world. I found myself excited to learn what odd character or situation the main character, Ben, would stumble into next. I also enjoyed the inclusion of humor throughout the story. Ben first starts as quite a bland character without much personality, but I appreciated that he develops quite a bit through his journey. Some of my favorite passages included learning more about his memories and past.
The book, however, loses me at it's plot. As aforementioned, this tale was incredibly reminiscent of previous work. I've read this story before. Man falls down a hole, experiences horrors perhaps from his own subconscious (Silent Hill much?), grows to appreciate his regular life, etc. etc. etc. I was trying so hard to find the connection between Ben's experiences and his psyche. I wanted the many situations he found himself in to have greater meaning than they did, but by the end of the book, they just felt like random, disjointed sequences. I feel that if everything had more congruency and connection, this would have been a stronger novel.
The plot did involve a twist or two that I did not expect, but I'm not entirely sure that Magary stuck the landing. I found myself shrugging at the last two chapters, wishing that the end of these trials and tribulations left me feeling more satisfied. Even as a lover of all things weird and trippy, I suppose this plot just didn't quite click for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail