Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, tells us the real story of Christopher McCandless, a 24 year old who abandoned his normal life and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Four months after venturing into the wild, he was found dead.
Into the Wild is an inspirational and simultaneously a cautionary tale, it provides the reader with the story of Chris’s final adventure and what led him to undertake such a risky challenge. It inspires us with the descriptions of nature and the adventures of Chris but also cautions and shows the readers the dangers of the wilderness and how unforgiving it is. The book mainly serves as a context to what led to Chris’s final adventure and what motivated him to take up this challenge. We read with an open spoiler knowing that Chris McCandless is dead which impacts the way we perceive the whole narrative. The book does not follow a linear order of events but instead covers ChrisMcCandless’s story out of order and reveals it in layers. While this is unusual and may seem unappealing, Krakauer makes it work and gives the reader a feeling of suspense, enabling the reader to engage in the material and think for themselves. Krakauer also provides his thoughts and further information of his experiences and gives
examples of other similar stories which provides the reader more depth and understanding of what led to Chris’s behavior. Occasionally the book felt overly dragged out and slow but it kept picking up its pace. It certainly is a good book with a tragic yet riveting story, and I recommend it to anyone who loves non-fiction adventure books.