Carine McCandless is the sister to Chris McCandless, the man who died in the Alaskan wilderness that sparked a book to be written about him (and subsequently a movie to be made based on the book). Having not read Into the Wild, I felt I was at a bit of a disadvantage going into this book, but felt I was quickly able to pick up the basics of this well known story.
His sister Carine's The Wild Truth spends a great deal of time discussing her childhood, and by default her brother's, since they grew up in the same house. She reveals the emotional and physical abuse by the parents - a generally unhealthy and unhappy home.
Writing The Wild Truth was probably very cathartic for Carine as she tells her story and clears up the rosier picture that Krakauer painted of the McCandless home. Part of Krakauer's perception came from McCandless herself as she was young and overwhelmed with her own grief when Krakauer first approached her.
Despite the fact that I did enjoy this book, and the fact that McCandless is a solid writer, it is not truly a book about Christopher McCandless and his death in the Alaskan wilderness.
I am enjoying reading Into the Wild by Krakauer which gives a much more detailed account of McCandless' adventures and chronicles the events that led him to eventually die alone in Alaska.
Carine's book adds something to this story, it is true, and for people looking for more information about Christopher McCandless, this is a nice addition to what is already known. If you are looking for more information about McCandless' time in the wilderness, Krakauer's book will satisfy your curiosity.
2 comments:
Into the Wild is such a haunting story. I posted an update on his story that I found somewhere this year. When you get to the end of the book look through my blog and send me a note and I will forward that link. Not sure I care that much about the McCandless family to delve further in to their lives, though. I think I will skip this one.
The book was good, the movie was even better.
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