Guest Post: Girl in the Woods by Aspen Matis Reviewed by Emerson Clauss

Once again, I've invited my friend Emerson Clauss to be a guest reviewer and he has chosen a wonderful memoir called GIRL IN THE WOODS by Aspen Matis.  He has a personal connection to the subject matter of the book and came away with some interesting insights.

GIRL IN THE WOODS: A Memoir by Aspen Matis

This is a seemingly familiar story of running away from something into nature to find yourself, except it has some new twists and sheds light on an epidemic in this country.  In GIRL IN THE WOODS, Aspen Matis shares her story of a campus rape, hers.  Crimes like this we see too often in the news and the incidence is rising in frequency, by most statistics.  Unfortunately she is the victim, yet becomes a gifted storyteller in her account of this act and her journey to overcome it.

Aspen tackles the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT), which is notably one of the epic hiking experiences in the US.  She embarks on this journey armed only with some childhood wilderness experiences and little planning or preparation.  She takes on this epic hike as a "Thru Hiker", meaning her goal was to accomplish the entire route in one try, all  2,650  miles of it.  Aspen also makes the decision to do it in "light" mode; carrying only bare essentials, which add several times to her challenges along the way.

As an avid and experienced  outdoors person, I was almost appalled at her lack of prep and seemingly rash decisions at the onset of this adventure.  Then I recalled being 19; life then is full of those kinds of decisions.  Through her experience of this campus rape, she is left feeling empty, lost and in need of something drastic in her life.  She finds those things in herself on the PCT.   

I'll admit, I was attracted to this story for several reasons; first as an outdoorsman and secondly, I wanted some insight to how to deal with the subject of rape, especially with the victim.  I wanted to see a woman's perspective on how people treat her afterwards, how they are stymied with what to say and how to react.  And it was insightful how, probably because of our lack of knowledge and openness about these emotions surrounding this crime; those around her do not handle her or her feelings well.

It is such a quagmire of  emotions for everyone involved, most of us are ill equipped to deal with it well and be supportive of the victim at a vulnerable time of need; for their daughter, friend or sibling.  Along the trail, strangers begin to act oddly around her, in this little wilderness click on the PCT.  She is forced to make some statements and actions to dispel that miss-information and set some people straight.  She does well to explain to the reader, how this wilderness community rises up each spring then dies away each fall. 

The story has some real interesting moments, both in nature and in human relations.   She (obviously) makes it through okay, but sometimes only by luck and possibly a series of small miracles, and with the aid of "Trail Angels".   Her feat of surviving the PCT is something tremendous, no matter her motivation.  And her goal, to find herself again, is noble and heartfelt.  Aspen's story is unique, but also too familiar.  

I believe this is a good read for couch potatoes and outdoors people alike.  It is certainly one more MEN should read; for too many reasons to list here.  This book may offer us all some insight to how to help, talk to and support a woman in this trap of a most personal of crime against her.    GIRL IN THE WOODS even hints of a continuing mystery in its Epilogue... one I had to research myself and found immensely intriguing as a student of human nature.   

GIRL IN THE WOODS is definitely a good read.

GIRL IN THE WOODS (Hardcover)
Author: Aspen Matis
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: September 8, 2015
Length: 384pp

Audio Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY is one of those books that, as you make your way through it, takes up a bigger and bigger place in your heart. That's how it was for me, anyway. Rachel Joyce's story of Harold Fry making his way to visit a sick friend dying from cancer, whom he feels he owes something, was a delight.

About the Book: (No Spoilers)

When Harold Fry receives a note from a woman he used to work with many years ago indicating she is dying and wishes to let him know that his friendship was important to her, he didn't immediately know what to do. He wrote a response to Queenie but on his way to mail it, began thinking that it was better if he delivered it in person, for many reasons, of which we don't know at this point. The circumstances surrounding their unusual friendship began twenty years earlier when the two worked at the same company.  This decision to deliver his message in person was so important to Harold and instant that he didn't even think about it, or talk to his wife, Maureen about it. He just left. On foot. To travel more than 500 miles.

My Thoughts:

I thought the idea of this story was original and I was immediately intrigued by Harold's reaction to Queenie's letter. Its obvious that he and this woman share something, but I didn't feel like it was a romance or anything that simple. I had to find out what it was.

This story is told while Harold is walking along the many roadways and encountering people from all walks of life along the way. With each person he meets, we learn more and more about Harold and his seemingly unhappy life. I really enjoyed how these interactions also opened Harold's eyes.  Like layers of an onion, each chapter shed new light on this most interesting man and he became more and more endearing to me. At the same time, Harold was also learning about himself and even his wife.  My favorite part was learning about David, Harold and Maureen's son. If I'm honest, I have to say, I didn't really like David for much of the book and felt sad for Harold not having a relationship with him. But as the story was winding down and all of the details surrounding David were revealed, it absolutely filled my heart. Everything began to make sense: the morose, unfulfilled life Harold seemed to be content with,  his strained relationship with Maureen, and the importance of Queenie's role in Harold's life.

I adored this book and I adored Harold Fry. Wisely, I chose to listen to his novel mainly because it was narrated by Jim Broadbent, a wonderful British actor of whom I've always been a fan..I actually read this book in December but after cutting my finger pretty badly, I was having trouble typing and couldn't do much on the computer for a good month. (I still have no feeling and it's very awkward) It was simply too hard to type so I put off writing my review until now. I am so glad I chose the audio version of this book. It was a treat to listen to and I recommend it highly! I doubt there is a better person to narrate this book.  If you're not into audio books, I still recommend it highly because this is a lovely story about a man who learns that its never to late to be happy and every person out there has doubts about themselves - its how you handle those doubts that count.

THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY
Author: Rachel Joyce
Edition: Audio
Publisher: Random House Audio
Published: July 2012
Length: 9hr 57min
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars