BookSpin Review:

The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
by Michael Finkel
Knopf
Hardcover

From BookDude:

Many of us have a fantasy of disappearing.  We try to imagine what it would be like to go away where no one can find us.

Christopher Knight did it.  One day in 1986 he walked into the woods and didn't emerge for nearly 30 years.

I knew I wanted to read this book and tore into it as soon as it arrived.  It didn't hurt that  I have read Michael Finkel before and enjoyed his work.

I have a lot of love for books about loners and people who blaze their own trails...sometimes literally.  I knew this story had a lot of potential and wasn't disappointed.  Christopher Knight's story will stick with you.

I don't like to bog my reviews down with too many facts; I prefer try to avoid spoilers and let other readers discover the details without my influence.

Suffice to say that Knight's story is compelling and maddening as we get to know all the hows: how did he do it, how did he succeed so long, how was he not found ( and how he was).

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From the publisher's website:


In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life—why did he leave? what did he learn?—as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.