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A review by debi_g
The Distance from Me to You by Marina Gessner
3.0
When I read the author bio, I grew perplexed and skeptical. Skeptical because it seems to me that an established writer would only use a pen name if ashamed of what she's written and craving separation from the lesser or different material. Perplexed because the brief, vague bio points out the writer's actual name and prior publications. It was with this nagging confusion that I began reading.
This story seems to have been concocted in an office and assigned to this capable author. I mean no discredit to the author, but it's easy to imagine an agent or editor requesting a tamer version of Wild for the YA set. Such a request surely posed some measure of difficulty, given the high school age constraints of YA and the dedication, responsibility, and risks involved with through-hiking.
Regardless, Gessner/de Gramont has the awareness of current cultural concerns, research muscle, and narrative skill to make this recipe work. The pacing of the story is true to trail narratives, while the plot events match established norms for YA fiction: generic family issues easily overcome with distance and a more adult perspective, a lackluster ex-boyfriend, a non-committal best friend, emergent independence and confidence, a mild neo-feminist sensibility, and a new romantic temptation.
In the minus column, the storytelling sometimes includes unneeded and repetitious details such as the brand of a sandal or skort. Such references make the book feel more research-based than experience-based. Likewise, the characterization lacks dimension. This could be deliberate, allowing for readers to insert themselves into the book more easily, but although I like McKenna and Sam, I'm hungry to know them more fully.
It may not sound like it, but I enjoyed this book and read it in one day because of the solid writing and editing chops. (I only spotted one typo!) There will never be enough quality backpacking books for me to get my fill, and I'm glad to have gotten my hands on this quick, fun read.
This story seems to have been concocted in an office and assigned to this capable author. I mean no discredit to the author, but it's easy to imagine an agent or editor requesting a tamer version of Wild for the YA set. Such a request surely posed some measure of difficulty, given the high school age constraints of YA and the dedication, responsibility, and risks involved with through-hiking.
Regardless, Gessner/de Gramont has the awareness of current cultural concerns, research muscle, and narrative skill to make this recipe work. The pacing of the story is true to trail narratives, while the plot events match established norms for YA fiction: generic family issues easily overcome with distance and a more adult perspective, a lackluster ex-boyfriend, a non-committal best friend, emergent independence and confidence, a mild neo-feminist sensibility, and a new romantic temptation.
In the minus column, the storytelling sometimes includes unneeded and repetitious details such as the brand of a sandal or skort. Such references make the book feel more research-based than experience-based. Likewise, the characterization lacks dimension. This could be deliberate, allowing for readers to insert themselves into the book more easily, but although I like McKenna and Sam, I'm hungry to know them more fully.
It may not sound like it, but I enjoyed this book and read it in one day because of the solid writing and editing chops. (I only spotted one typo!) There will never be enough quality backpacking books for me to get my fill, and I'm glad to have gotten my hands on this quick, fun read.