This was one of the rare books I first found browsing in a bookstore. Rare in that I hadn't heard any of my Booktube friends mention. Trying to save money, I put it down. A few months later, Jen Campbell talked about it on her YouTube channel. I was sold. All the editions of the cover are beautiful, but I love the design of this particular one. The cover, deckle edges of the pages, and the french flaps are stunning.
This is a quietly haunting read about mental illness, extreme survivalist practices, and the lies we tell ourselves and our family. It also highlights the weird dichotomy of children. A generalization from the book and my own limited experience: while they often have seemingly endless questions about the mundane, in terms of food and safety they blindly trust. This unswerving loyalty is present in Peggy, who at eight years old is taken into the woods for a "vacation" with her dad while her mom is playing a concert in Germany. She ends up staying in the forest for nine years. The reader flips back and forth from present day 1985 to her departure with her dad James and their solitary experience over the years.
The ending is quite thought provoking, and obviously trauma abounds. However, for a lot of the novel I didn't have feelings one way or the other- and I'm not sure why. I was disgusted by her dark circumstances, but felt mildly disconnected. Perhaps it was the monotony of their days that made me feel a bit desensitized. I can't think of anything I would have had the author change. Monotony is realistic, and her coping mechanisms seemed accurate as well. I feel like my rating might change over time, since this is a book that I won't soon forget. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for this author's future work.
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