Mel Ellis knows that her eating disorder is ruining her life. Everyone tells her rehab is her best option, but she can't bring herself to go. Broken and empty in more ways than one, Mel makes one last-ditch effort to make hers a story worth telling. She will walk her own road to recovery along the lesser-known trails of the North American wilderness.
Though she is physically and mentally unprepared to face the difficulties that lay ahead, she sets off on foot from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and heads toward Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State. During the long journey, she meets strangers with their own stories, as well as ghosts from her past who can no longer be ignored. But though the land she travels threatens her success at every turn, it's her own dark thoughts she'll have to overcome in order to find peace in the life and the body she has been given.
REVIEW
I will be honest, it took me a minute to get into this book. I had a couple of false starts, but once I was able to settle in, I was fully engaged. This story was unlike anything I have read. It was thoroughly fascinating to be in the head of someone who was struggling with an eating disorder and mental illness.
The journey itself seemed impossible. I was sure there was no way at a good outcome. However, the mental health journey was just as important as Mel ran into people who were willing to help and wouldn't take no for an answer.
The relationships and growth in this book were compelling. I felt so many emotions as I read. I wanted to convince her of her worth, and help her confront her mother. I wanted to hug the women she met a long the way.
I was moved by this story and want to see Mel's journey to better health, I want to see her interactions with family and with Alex. I wasn't ready for it to end.
I received an early copy from the publisher and netgalley and this is my honest review.