WILDFIRE, by Carrie Mac , Knopf Books for Young Readers, Jan. 28, 2020, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)
Best friends travel through the wilderness in Carrie Mac’s emotional Wildfire.
Annie and Pete have been best friends since they were little. They know each other better than anyone, and they’ve been on more adventures than they can count–they even have a notebook filled with all the times they’ve almost died. But they always survive, because together, they’re invincible.
And they’ve always been just friends. But lately, Annie has been thinking that maybe friendship is just the beginning, and she’s been mentally replaying all the times they were almost something more.
Now they’re heading out on their next great quest: a ten-day backpacking trip through the mountains of Washington State, ending at Fire Camp, where they’ll learn to fight the area’s growing wildfire problem. The woods spark with the promise of adventure, but a freak climbing accident interrupts their progress, and as the wildfires close in and smoke envelops them, Annie and Pete wander farther from the trail. —Synopsis provide by Knopf Books for Young Readers
I have mixed feelings about Wildfire. On the one hand, there’s a feeling of immediacy and on the other there’s a retrospective meandering. This makes for a rambling experience that will be relaxing for some and frustrating for others. I’m one of the latter. It took me most of the book to really embrace the style.
With themes of death, drug use and attempted suicide, Wildfire is an emotional read that is quite heavy at times. It can be a hard book to read, but I am glad I finished it.
While Wildfire isn’t for everyone, it has merit. Carrie Mac is a strong writer who knows how to draw the reader in.
