was my first book by Sonja Yoerg but will definitely not be my last,
The Middle of Somewhere is a great piece of literary fiction and should appeal to any fans of women's fiction,
Told from the third person point of view, it followsyearold Liz on anday backpacking journey on the John Muir trail in the Western part of the US.
Liz is seeking solitude and a chance to clear her mind, but then her boyfriend Dante decides to tag along, Liz is very independent, an experienced hiker, and she is harboring secrets that she knows she has to let Dante in on, But once these things are out in the open what will it do to their relationship and their future Using flashbacks, Liz's past is gradually revealed, and we also find out more about Dante's history and concerns.
The plot handles a lot of personal, family and relationship issues, There is more than the selfdiscovery and relationship angle as well as the character studies aspect though, Along the trail, Liz and Dante meet several other hikers that have an impact on this journey, There is danger, adventure and suspense, All the characters feel real and are well developed, The plot moves along at a good speed, and it was difficult to put the book down once started,
The prose is simply beautiful with vivid descriptions of the scenery, You learn a lot about backpacking along the way, I have to say I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as it is quite different to what I usually read, My only slight criticism: the ending was too neatly wrapped up for my liking,
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review,
Liz Pemberton and her boyfriend, Dante Espinoza, are heading out to hike the John Muir Trail in its entirety, Dante doesn't have any previous backpacking experience, and is to easily and endlessly social that he's delaying their start, Liz, on the other hand, is a very experienced backpacker, and had originally intended to make this hike alone, for solitude and a chance to think,
At first, we have the impression that Dante is a lightweight and a possible mistake, that Liz drifted into the relationship after her early widowhood, and bracing herself for taking back control of her life.
The reality is very different, Over the early days of the hike, we realize that Liz is carrying a burden of guilt, and is bracing herself to make a confession to Dante that she believes will certainly end their relationshipbut not because she wants it over.
But as Liz and Dante deal with their relationship issues, they have another problem, which at first seems just an annoyance, Among the other hikers on the JMT with them are Payton and Rodell Root, brothers who seem superficially friendly, Liz finds them, especially Payton, not just annoying, but a bit disturbing and even creepy, At first, Dante thinks she's wrong, As their journey continues, though, strange things start to happen, always when the Root brothers are nearby,
As Liz starts confessing her dark secrets, and their relationship is under severe strain, she and Dante have to cooperate ever more closely to cope with the danger presented by the Roots, who have fixated on the young couple as their primary targets.
Yoerg does an amazing job of weaving these two threads together, the unfolding of Liz's history and its effect on her relationship with Dante, and the gradual and frightening realization that the Roots are more than just an annoyance, forcing them to work together when they would otherwise simply not speak to each other.
The exploration of Liz's history, guilt, and emotional issues, her relationship with her late husband and with Dante, and fight to survive the Roots is masterful, Yoerg's first novel, House Broken, was very good this one is excellent,
Highly recommended.
I received a free galley of this book from the author, At the beginning of the book, Liz Kroft is not a likable character, Determined to go on a three week hike alone across the John Muir Trail, she does her best to rid herself of her boyfriend at the beginning of the hike.
He leaves and she is finally by herself, with an interesting group of other hikers, Determined not to give up so easily, Dante her boyfriend waits for her at one of the rest areas along the trail, As their hike progresses, Liz begins to confront pieces of herself that she has ignored for a long time, As she begins unraveling her lies to Dante, we begin to see who the real Liz is, In the midst of her pain and realizations, she comes to discover who she truly is, In the middle of the wilderness, on an unexpected flight of survival, she and Dante find out what they are made of and whether or not their relationship is strong enough to weather the storms of life.
With a cast of crazy characters, some benign and others more sinister, this fastpaced book made the sights of the John Muir Trail come to life as you discovered that some storms from which you run are storms of the soul, some are actual storms, and some storms are people who seek to do you harm.
If you like nature and enjoy thrillers, you'll enjoy this book!
I received an ARC of this book I loved House Broken, so Ive been excited about the release of The Middle of Somewhere.
This novel definitely delivers, and even though its a different type of story from House Broken, both pack an emotional punch, Thats honestly what I like in a book, I want it to make me feel everything, until Im overwhelmed, stressed out, and completely absorbed,
I was invested in this story from start to end, Both the plot and internal dramas are intense, which will have
you on the edge of your seat and imagining/hearing bad guys stalking your house in the middle of your night, if youre anything like me.
The details about the hike and trail made me feel like I was there and participating in the experience, even though Im not a hiker.
Its possible I will never be a hiker after reading this novel, but I love that this story threw me into a new world/situation and completely enveloped my senses.
I could almost feel the burn in my own legs and taste the trail mix,
The MC is different and troubled, She carries a lot of baggage, but she also grows throughout the story and becomes more aware of herself and her issues, I loved seeing that growth and the recognition of personal shortcomings, as we all struggle in our own ways, I believe acknowledging issues and being selfaware makes a huge difference, even if Im not perfect at correcting my issues, People cant fix things they dont acknowledge, and everyone starts somewhere, I think starting and trying are both huge steps, Sometimes, theyre even more important than overcoming, and I feel like that was the message of this story,
This story made my heart ache in all kinds of unexpected ways, It caught me off guard once and made me cry, but that was potentially more about what I felt the book said about me, rather than being about the specifics of the story line.
It also helped to renew my faith in humanity, which is what I honestly want every story to do, There are times where everything feels so hopeless, but its what the characters did during and after those moments that I think I enjoyed the most,
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