I read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer in 2022. It is one of those books that lingers in the back of your mind, not always gently. It was a challenging read for me, not because of the language or the pacing, but because of the ache beneath the story.

Christopher McCandless, also known as Alex Supertramp, walked away from everything family, money, structure in search of a raw, unfiltered life. And for all his idealism, mistakes, and contradictions, I could not help but feel both admiration and heartbreak as I turned the pages.

Krakauer does not judge him. He lets the story unfold with empathy, curiosity, and restraint. And in doing so, he invites us to ask difficult questions: What does it mean to be free? When does solitude become self-erasure? And why do some of us feel like we can only find ourselves by disappearing?

What struck me most was the silence between Chris and the people he left behind the unanswered letters, the half-goodbyes, the quiet confusion of his family. This wasn’t just a story of escape. It was a story of someone trying to strip life down to its bare bones to see what was left.

I don’t know if I agreed with everything he did. I don’t think I was meant to. But reading his story forced me to sit with my own longing for clarity, simplicity, and purpose even if I seek it in quieter ways.

Into the Wild wasn’t easy. But it was necessary. Some books don’t comfort you they confront you. This one did both.

Buy Into the Wild on Bookshop.org. I love supporting indie bookstores!