• Author: Jon Krakauer
• Publisher: Pan McMillan
• Publishing year: 1996
• Pages:205
• Coverdesign: Jim Zuckerman / Westlight
• ISBN: 978-1447203698

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/jon-krakauer/into-the-wild/9781035038572

Review:

Into the Wild was January’s book of the month for the bookclub, Boekenclub Twist and Tale, chosen by one of the members. It had been on my tbr forever, especially since I’ve seen the movie adaptation with Emile Hirsch, directed by Sean Penn and with music by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder! (Great soundtrack, btw!). And reading this book has provided me the perfect excuse to buy the bluray of this movie, which I hope to rewatch real soon!

Chris McCandless graduates from high school in 1990 and leaves everything in his life behind. The money he received from his parents was donated to OXFAM, he never returned home to his parents and sister to say goodbye and all he took with him was his car, a Datsun from 1982, his guitar and a sense of adventure. His goal: to go live in Alaska, into the wild. Living off the land, without human interference! Chris finally made it in Alaska, after a road trip of about two years, and finds a ‘Fairbanks City Bus’ that was left behind in the wilderness where he sets up camp for a few months. But somehow Chris never leaves the bus and one day some hunters pass by it and find the body of the unfortunate adventurer.

Jon Krakauer, who wrote an article on McCandless after his body was found in the left behind bus in the Alaskan wilderness, tries to retrace McCandless’ steps across the United States during the two years he was on his road trip.

Hopping trains, hitchhiking, walking the country… once his little Datsun gives up he has to rely on his own wit and cunning…

People who met McCandless start reacting to the article he wrote and wanted to talk about the boy. The way he touched their hearts, the way he roamed the States, worked his butt off for a few dollars renouncing his past life and the wealth his parents owned… Good advice is thrown into the wind and Chris sets his boundaries to where he allowed people in his life.

But what happened to him? What killed him? Why did he die of starvation if he planned on living of the land and hunt? And how does McCandless life somehow shows parallels to that of Krakauer himself and to other pioneers that went before him?

All this is very astutely told by Krakauer in this biopic of a boy who went on an adventure, never to return from it. Of course I do not only recommend this book but also its movie adaptation. This is the story of how a young man, looking for himself and for a way to escape life and reality, touches the hearts of those he meets, makes some stupid decisions leading to his final journey but also a man that inspires people to not always go with the flow and sometimes just swim against the current and go your own way. But a little more preparation and some smart thinking would be advised before setting on a (foolish?) journey like his…