Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
This review was originally published on Goodreads in 2008. Throughout the year, I’ll be working through my book review archives and posting flashback reviews with some current-day commentary. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane as much as I do.
Wow, I'm glad I finally got to this book.
Krakauer kept my attention from the first page to the last, and I found myself wishing that there was more to the story. I know that many people have a love/hate relationship with this book — mainly because they either love or hate McCandless — but there is no denying that Krakauer is a gifted writer that deserves a place in the same sentence as Capote and Larson.
To make a work of fact read like fiction is no small feat.
Say what you will about McCandless, but I saw him as an idealistic young man that longed for days gone by. Sure he was immature and bull-headed, but aren't we all at 22?
The real tragedy in this story is that he never got to mend his fences. That he never had the opportunity to make something of himself. He died before he had the chance to make an impact — although I believe he made a larger impact than he could ever know. Just read the comments of those that met sprinkled throughout the novel.
Another interesting device, that I think Krakauer pulled off nicely, was his ability to weave his own experiences as a youth into those of McCandless as a way for us to better understand what made him tick.
A lesser writer would have come across as narcissistic, but Krakauer made it work and brought an entirely different dimension to the story — and left you wondering what could have become of McCandless had he survived.
Krakauer makes no apologies for being sympathetic to McCandless. When I first started reading this book, I really wanted to hate him, but in the end, I find myself admiring his fearlessness and wishing that I was half as brave as he.
[2021 perspective] This story will seep into my consciousness from time-to-time, most recently when visiting family in Alaska — although in Juneau and not Fairbanks, the closest major city to where McCandless met his demise.
In a strange twist of fate, the location of his death became so popular that several hikers were killed or injured trying to reach the bus, which was airlifted out of the forest in 2020. You can’t help but think what McCandless would make of the infamy Krakauer’s story bestowed upon him.
As I noted in my review, Krakauer’s connection to McCandless’ story is personal. He saw much of himself in the nature-loving idealist, and he still revisits the topic from time-to-time, but should we still care?
Regardless of your personal feelings about Krakauer or McCandless, you can’t deny the cultural influence his story has had for almost three decades. This is a book that everyone should read, or at the very least, watch the excellent film adaptation.
Rating (story): 4/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: Paperback (personal library)
Date read: February 26, 2008
Multi-tasking: N/A
