One man lives alone in the woods for 27 years. He never has a fire, even in winter. He only speaks a single word to another human once in 27 years, "Hi". He breaks into cabins over 1,000 times to collect supplies and is never caught. He lives solely off theiviery. He almost freezes to death on an annual basis. He is supremely happy with his lifestyle.

This is the story of Chris Knight. The man who willfully isolated himself in the woods of Maine for 27 years before being caught during a break-in. In this book Finkel struggles to understand how Knight lived, if any of this is even true, and what comes next for Knight after his arrest.

I found the book to be quite a page turner. It was very reminiscent of Into the Wild. A heavily researched tale about a young man who makes a brash decision to reject society and reconnect with nature while disconnecting from humanity. The main difference is that Knight does not hold grandiose views like Supertramp, he does not journal, he receives zero support. His family assumes he's dead and he doesn't want to bother them with contact.

Diving into Knight's mind, habits, and lifestyle is fascinating. His worldview and general lack of dogma makes it further fascinating. The man just simply loved being alone.

My gripe with the book is that the author essentially becomes obsessed with Knight. He repeatedly contacts him after being expressly asked not to multiple times. The author's own lust for narrative closure, comes at the cost of a solitary man's peace. That is not right. I dock half a star for the author's complete lack of self awareness and harassment of Knight. However, his ability to tell Knight's story, as Knight blessed him to, is certainly of merit. His was a lifestyle unlike any you'll ever hear of.

4.5/5