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FIVE STARS GUYS LOVE LOVE LOVE
I’ve always loved stories where the protagonist goes on an adventure, a little journey where they find friends and ultimately, themselves or something equally cheesy. A quaint little story like the Life of Pi or The Hobbit. I think that’s what I thought The Hike would be. Instead think Alice in Wonderland, but on acid. But not in like an obnoxious, dude-bro kind of way. In a really, really good kind of way.
The Hike is about a guy, Ben, who decides to go on a hike outside his hotel in the middle of Pennsylvania. Somehow, he ends up in some other dimension (?), alternate reality (?), planet (?). He has no idea where he is or how to escape. All he knows is that he’s got to stay on The Path, or he’ll die. And so begins Ben’s great Odyssey. He encounters a talking crab, men with dog faces and a giant cannibal. The only thing that keeps Ben going is his desire to see his family again.
I feel like the idea of a male protagonist whose only motivation is his family sounds so yawn. But this one really isn’t. Throughout the story, we get glimpses into Ben’s past and his life before The Hike. Every bit of his life has some meaning that comes together in the story. Things that were just funny and stupid to begin with become so meaningful as the story progresses (minor spoiler: I cried over the crab).
The book genuinely was an experience to read. I got caught up in the video-gameness of it all; weird stuff happens and you just accept it. Wild plot twists are revealed that are impossible to see coming because the author follows no rules but it just works. There’s gore, murder and disturbing imagery and yet…. this book has so much heart in it, too? It’s quietly profound and full of love. It’s funny how, in such a messed-up story, I could genuinely sense the depth of the author’s love for fatherhood and his affection for his kids. It was so beautifully conveyed through Ben's character, and I found it so lovely.
“How can you know we won’t be on this path forever?”
“Does it matter? How long would you walk to see them again?”
“Forever.”
“Exactly”
This is another book I’m going to file under WIERD, but I think if you’re into sci-fi, fantasy or adventure in general you have to read this. This book is hilarious, it’s creepy, it’s nail-biting, it’s everything. I promise you, the very end, literally the very last page, makes the whole insane read worth it times 10000. It hits you with a massive punch and yet it is so satisfying, a perfect ending. (If you’re the kind of person to steal a look at the last page before you finish, I BEG you, don’t)
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it- I’m literally re-reading it already. I know this review hasn’t done this book justice but PLEASE read it- I’ll love u if u do <3
“She said I had a choice between fighting five dwarfs or one regular human.”
“Wow, that’s fucked up”
“Fucked up is my new normal”
“So which one are you gonna pick?”
“I have no idea”
I’ve always loved stories where the protagonist goes on an adventure, a little journey where they find friends and ultimately, themselves or something equally cheesy. A quaint little story like the Life of Pi or The Hobbit. I think that’s what I thought The Hike would be. Instead think Alice in Wonderland, but on acid. But not in like an obnoxious, dude-bro kind of way. In a really, really good kind of way.
The Hike is about a guy, Ben, who decides to go on a hike outside his hotel in the middle of Pennsylvania. Somehow, he ends up in some other dimension (?), alternate reality (?), planet (?). He has no idea where he is or how to escape. All he knows is that he’s got to stay on The Path, or he’ll die. And so begins Ben’s great Odyssey. He encounters a talking crab, men with dog faces and a giant cannibal. The only thing that keeps Ben going is his desire to see his family again.
I feel like the idea of a male protagonist whose only motivation is his family sounds so yawn. But this one really isn’t. Throughout the story, we get glimpses into Ben’s past and his life before The Hike. Every bit of his life has some meaning that comes together in the story. Things that were just funny and stupid to begin with become so meaningful as the story progresses (minor spoiler: I cried over the crab).
The book genuinely was an experience to read. I got caught up in the video-gameness of it all; weird stuff happens and you just accept it. Wild plot twists are revealed that are impossible to see coming because the author follows no rules but it just works. There’s gore, murder and disturbing imagery and yet…. this book has so much heart in it, too? It’s quietly profound and full of love. It’s funny how, in such a messed-up story, I could genuinely sense the depth of the author’s love for fatherhood and his affection for his kids. It was so beautifully conveyed through Ben's character, and I found it so lovely.
“How can you know we won’t be on this path forever?”
“Does it matter? How long would you walk to see them again?”
“Forever.”
“Exactly”
This is another book I’m going to file under WIERD, but I think if you’re into sci-fi, fantasy or adventure in general you have to read this. This book is hilarious, it’s creepy, it’s nail-biting, it’s everything. I promise you, the very end, literally the very last page, makes the whole insane read worth it times 10000. It hits you with a massive punch and yet it is so satisfying, a perfect ending. (If you’re the kind of person to steal a look at the last page before you finish, I BEG you, don’t)
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it- I’m literally re-reading it already. I know this review hasn’t done this book justice but PLEASE read it- I’ll love u if u do <3
“She said I had a choice between fighting five dwarfs or one regular human.”
“Wow, that’s fucked up”
“Fucked up is my new normal”
“So which one are you gonna pick?”
“I have no idea”