It was supposed to be a fun romp through the woods, until 9-year-old Trisha McFarland gets sick of her Mom and brother bickering and decides to let them go on ahead. No one notices when she takes a bathroom break and ends up getting turned around in the woods. Her efforts to regain the trail only end up getting her more and more lost, until she ends up miles from civilization with nothing to her name but some snacks, a Game Boy, a poncho and a Walkman featuring radio coverage of her favorite baseball star/crush, Tom Gordon.
Fans of survival fic (think Hatchet, The Trap, Life As We Knew It) will relish the mounting tension, as Trisha’s resourcefulness slowly gives way to panic, self-doubt and hallucinations. As the days pass, plagued by inner doubt, hunger and illness, she finds her only solace in the broadcasts of her favorite Red Sox player. She begins to confide in Tom Gordon, and to see visions of him in the forest, but, unfortunately, that’s not all she sees. There is also something sinister watching her, something that doesn’t want her to find the way out, something even worse than a monster.
This novel represents somewhat of a departure from King’s most famous novels (i.e. The Stand, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, etc.), but what it lacks in the supernatural it more than makes up for with its taut pace, its realistic voice and (as usual) its portrayal of the resilience of the human spirit.
A.L. Meter: 4/5
