Book Review: "Wild: A Journey From Lost to Found" by Cheryl Strayed

**** - Cheryl Strayed's memoir, detailing her unlikely hike along the Pacific Crest Trail and the many wrong turns that she made in life to require such an endeavour, is well-loved. Not by me, but by other people.

The story itself is well-written and makes for a compelling read. If a book flows smoothly and transitions well from one thought to another, it is an enjoyable read. And so I gave it 4 stars. But I didn't like the story and so it didn't resonate with me in the way it seems to have resonated with so many others.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the trail and the wilderness, and the details of just how physically challenging it was to complete this hike. The book truly came alive with Strayed's encounters of other hikers, and I would have loved to have heard more of their stories.

Strayed herself was a difficult character to like. Despite the fact that we are inside of her head for the entire book, I never got much of a sense of who she was when she was hiking. I knew only of her increasing tally of poor decisions, which made her hard to relate to. I didn't find her moments of clarity particularly enlightening, and it generally felt anticlimactic.

I am at a very different point in my life than Strayed was when she began her PCT hike. I can see that for people who are struggling to find themselves, this book may be inspirational. I'm not disappointed I read it.