By Kate Alice Marshall
Viking, 2018. 314 pages. Young Adult
After a car crash takes her mother’s life, Jess bounces around in foster care until her father can be contacted and asked to pick her up. Jess hasn’t had any contact with him since she was young, so when she meets her dad in the middle-of-nowhere Canadian wilderness, she’s resentful and angry. Her dad tries to make the best of it, but he has his own reasons for living off the grid, and warns Jess that if she ever sees anyone out there she doesn’t recognize, to hide and stay away. When he’s murdered and Jess is left alone, she does everything she can to survive, not knowing if or when she’ll meet another friendly face.
The beginning of the book bounces between two time periods, before her father’s murder and after. Even with the nonlinear timeline Marshall’s pacing is excellent, making the story clear and suspenseful. All of the pieces gradually come together to show the whole picture of what Jess experienced as she prepares to cope with new predicaments, like the Canadian winter. She’s resourceful and smart, and really an interesting character. If you like stories of wilderness survival and revenge, this is definitely something to check out.
ACS
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