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A review by rbruehlman
The Wild Truth: A Memoir by Carine McCandless
4.0
This was a deeply sad read.
Like many people, I had Into the Wild as required reading in high school, and elected to re-read it fourteen years later at a time when I felt lost, in hopes Christopher McCandless's journey in pursuit of happiness and meaning would, in turn, provide salve for myself. Especially as an adult, I didn't see Christopher McCandless's decision to find himself in the wilderness as an act of selfishness or naivety, but, rather, one of courage.
I picked up this book because, (if I remember correctly), in Jon Krakauer's afterword to the updated edition of Into the Wild, he mentions Carine's memoir, and how there was more to Christopher's family history than was alluded to in the book.
Into the Wild is a beautiful book on its own, but this memoir adds so much more depth to Christopher's journey. I never thought Christopher McCandless was a naive or self-absorbed upper-class rich kid, as some did; he always struck me as a confident young man in search of meaning through living life authentically. Within fifteen pages, I completely understood why Christopher had left in pursuit of happiness alone. The circumstances from which he and his sister came give me all the more respect for him and his decision to go into the wild in search of self, as it were.
Christopher and Carine's love for one another was palpable, and I suspect their bond is what enabled them to rise above the poisonous dysfunction in which they were raised. In a sense, they saved one another. I give them both credit for rising above the lot they were given. Carine isn't the most eloquent writer in the world in terms of style, but she conveys the terror and pain they both experienced eloquently and powerfully. Much of the book is about Carine and not Christopher specifically, especially in the aftermath of his death, but it doesn't *feel* overly focused on Carine.
When Carine talks about herself, it feels like it is providing context to the family environment in which they were raised and why Christopher couldn't stand to remain. Her desire to remain true to her brother is palpably evident.
I wouldn't change a thing about the story Into the Wild told because the book stands on its own in its own powerful way, but a version that included the actual backstory would have made for a different, beautiful book on its own … perhaps one that would inspire less fascination with Thoreau in its readers, and more of a quiet gaze into one young man’s journey to heal the unbroken parts of him that others did their damnedest to break.
Like many people, I had Into the Wild as required reading in high school, and elected to re-read it fourteen years later at a time when I felt lost, in hopes Christopher McCandless's journey in pursuit of happiness and meaning would, in turn, provide salve for myself. Especially as an adult, I didn't see Christopher McCandless's decision to find himself in the wilderness as an act of selfishness or naivety, but, rather, one of courage.
I picked up this book because, (if I remember correctly), in Jon Krakauer's afterword to the updated edition of Into the Wild, he mentions Carine's memoir, and how there was more to Christopher's family history than was alluded to in the book.
Into the Wild is a beautiful book on its own, but this memoir adds so much more depth to Christopher's journey. I never thought Christopher McCandless was a naive or self-absorbed upper-class rich kid, as some did; he always struck me as a confident young man in search of meaning through living life authentically. Within fifteen pages, I completely understood why Christopher had left in pursuit of happiness alone. The circumstances from which he and his sister came give me all the more respect for him and his decision to go into the wild in search of self, as it were.
Christopher and Carine's love for one another was palpable, and I suspect their bond is what enabled them to rise above the poisonous dysfunction in which they were raised. In a sense, they saved one another. I give them both credit for rising above the lot they were given. Carine isn't the most eloquent writer in the world in terms of style, but she conveys the terror and pain they both experienced eloquently and powerfully. Much of the book is about Carine and not Christopher specifically, especially in the aftermath of his death, but it doesn't *feel* overly focused on Carine.
When Carine talks about herself, it feels like it is providing context to the family environment in which they were raised and why Christopher couldn't stand to remain. Her desire to remain true to her brother is palpably evident.
I wouldn't change a thing about the story Into the Wild told because the book stands on its own in its own powerful way, but a version that included the actual backstory would have made for a different, beautiful book on its own … perhaps one that would inspire less fascination with Thoreau in its readers, and more of a quiet gaze into one young man’s journey to heal the unbroken parts of him that others did their damnedest to break.