My Abandonment by Peter Rock

My Abandonment by Peter Rock
Fiction

Caroline is a thirteen year old that lives with her father in a forest park in Oregon. They have lived there for four years and are very careful to make sure that no one finds them. They move their camp every so often, they only walk on stones so the grass doesn't look flattened, and they have perches in the tree to watch if anyone is coming. They go in to town every so often to purchase food items.

Caroline's father teaches her school subjects but is also very strict. There are many things she can't do and when a runner comes upon their camp one day, Caroline believes its her fault he sees her so doesn't tell her dad for fear he'll get upset. The runner comes back with police though, and brings Caroline and her father in to the police station, which may cause their lives to be completely changed.

The premise of this book is quite interesting. People can live off the grid and can't integrate back in to society. I thought the portrayal of Caroline was well written. She didn't have the social graces that a regular 13 year old would have but she was still quite smart. The father, however, I was always a bit suspicious of.

The ending of this book was quite a disappointment and looking back on the story, there were some things that just didn't make sense. Unfortunately I found that the book started falling apart about 2/3rd the way through it.

First Line: "Sometimes you're walking through the wood when a stick leaps into the air and strikes you across the back and shoulders several times, then flies away lost in the underbrush"

Rating:
(3.5/5)