I’ve been
struggling to decide on an angle to take for this review, because every time I
think about the book I’m distracted by fond memories of how good it is.
Backpacked, by Catherine Ryan Howard, is the story of a reluctant traveller’s
journey across Central America, and from the very first page I could tell it was
a journey I needed to take too. The first line had me laughing, the rest of the
prelude had me gagging to know how things came to such dire circumstances in
the first place, and the remainder of the book certainly didn’t disappoint.
Although
it detailed a true story I still (as always) want to look at it from a writer’s
perspective. So with that in mind, why was it so good? Well first and foremost,
the voice of the book sold it for me. It’s confident, funny, and brilliantly
shows not just the author’s personality but the culture she comes from and the
alien world she finds herself stuck in. At very rare moments I thought the
editing could be tightened up a little – perhaps a sentence could be re-written
in the active voice or a minor bit of repetition could be fixed up – but most
of the time I was too enthralled to notice.
Another
wonderful part of the book, largely thanks to that excellent voice, are the
‘characters’. The author and the best friend she travels with make a hilarious
odd couple that emanate enough girl-power to have walked straight out of the
pages of some chick lit novel, and you can’t help but wanting to hang out with
them. Then there are the strangers they meet along the way. Whether it’s the
crazy, the kind, the scary or the
more-annoying-than-a-million-Honduran-mosquitos, they’re all painted so vividly
I could have met them myself (although for some I’m glad I didn’t).
The same
can be said of the settings visited throughout their adventure. The memories I
have of this book feel like my own, as if I were the one doing the travelling.
The attention to detail in the descriptions is excellent, and as you step off
the bus into each new place you can see it, smell it, hear it and feel it too.
And with just the right mix of drama, humour and a wee bit of soul-searching,
the entire trip was a joy to experience.
8/10
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