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A review by pastelwriter
Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mindy McGinnis strikes again with another incredible novel! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, as I’m not really a reader of survival stories, but this was well worth the read!
First of all, I love how messy our main character is. Much like all of the main characters of this author, Ashley is far from likable. She’s not like other girls because she’s into nature and hiking and has many practical skills related to this. She’s also poor, unlike all her friends, and incredibly prideful. She doesn’t want to ask for help. It’s demeaning. She’s grown up knowing how to be independent and get herself out of situations she’s either gotten stuck in or put herself in. And I honestly love that. For a novel that is mostly spent in the head of a character lost in the woods, it’s precisely the fact that she’s far from perfect that makes her so interesting to read about.
Second of all, I really appreciated the part of this narrative dedicated to Davey Beets. It felt very realistic for Ashley to have so much admiration for a guy who taught her so much of how she knows how to engage with nature. The way the story goes because of the strong feelings she has for him makes the story all the more impactful. I think there was certainly a part that was unrealistic, but I loved it because of how it brought things full circle for Ashley. I’m always in favor of sacrificing realism for the sake of narrative cohesion and not leaving things unanswered.
As for the reading experience itself, as a character driven reader, I ate this up. I was perfectly content following Ashley and all the harrowing shit Mindy McGinnis put her through. I love learning as much as possible about how a character thinks and what makes them tick, and this is a perfect example of that. Plus, the narrative doesn’t make compromises. Ashley’s surroundings very seriously impact her present reality regardless of how much time is spent on Ashley thinking about her past. Nature truly has it out to get Ashley as she’s lost in the Smokies, and the threat feels very real. I can only hope I could fare half as well if I was in her precarious situation!
All this to say, I loved this fucking book. It was riveting. I loved the characterization of Ashley. I loved how messy she was. I loved reading about all the shit she had to do to survive. It was great!
First of all, I love how messy our main character is. Much like all of the main characters of this author, Ashley is far from likable. She’s not like other girls because she’s into nature and hiking and has many practical skills related to this. She’s also poor, unlike all her friends, and incredibly prideful. She doesn’t want to ask for help. It’s demeaning. She’s grown up knowing how to be independent and get herself out of situations she’s either gotten stuck in or put herself in. And I honestly love that. For a novel that is mostly spent in the head of a character lost in the woods, it’s precisely the fact that she’s far from perfect that makes her so interesting to read about.
Second of all, I really appreciated the part of this narrative dedicated to Davey Beets. It felt very realistic for Ashley to have so much admiration for a guy who taught her so much of how she knows how to engage with nature. The way the story goes because of the strong feelings she has for him makes the story all the more impactful. I think there was certainly a part that was unrealistic, but I loved it because of how it brought things full circle for Ashley. I’m always in favor of sacrificing realism for the sake of narrative cohesion and not leaving things unanswered.
As for the reading experience itself, as a character driven reader, I ate this up. I was perfectly content following Ashley and all the harrowing shit Mindy McGinnis put her through. I love learning as much as possible about how a character thinks and what makes them tick, and this is a perfect example of that. Plus, the narrative doesn’t make compromises. Ashley’s surroundings very seriously impact her present reality regardless of how much time is spent on Ashley thinking about her past. Nature truly has it out to get Ashley as she’s lost in the Smokies, and the threat feels very real. I can only hope I could fare half as well if I was in her precarious situation!
All this to say, I loved this fucking book. It was riveting. I loved the characterization of Ashley. I loved how messy she was. I loved reading about all the shit she had to do to survive. It was great!