My Abandonment

A riveting and unsettling novel about a girl and her father who live off the grid, in the shadows at the edge of civilization Athirteen-year-old girl and her father live in Forest Park, the enormous nature preserve in Portland,Oregon.They inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, wash in a nearby creek, store perishables at the water’s edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts.Once a week, they go to the city to buy groceries, attend church, and otherwise merge with the civilized world. But one small mistake allows a backcountry jogger to discover them, which derails their entire existence, ultimately provoking a deeper flight.In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into theWild and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Last American Man, Peter Rock’s My Abandonment, inspired by a true story and told through the startlingly sincere voice of his young protagonist, Caroline, is an eerie and mesmerizing book of survival and hope, and a completely original novel of a remarkable and triumphant transformation.