The Wilderness Between Us

​Author: Penny Haw
Publisher: Koehlerbooks
Reviewer: Nancy Richards
Prior to investing in this title, in a book shop, I overheard ‘Isn’t that the book about anorexia?’ Well, it is – but now that I’ve read it, I wish I’d been able to say to those customers, ‘but it’s about so much more.’ It’s about the wiles, wonders and perils of hiking, it’s about listening – to yourself and others, oh, and to what’s around you. It’s about relationships, friendships and human behavior – good, bad and questionable – and most importantly it’s about compassion. So for sure there’s 

something to which everyone can relate.
Having once had a brush with anorexia I could relate to the skinny thing. And lucky enough to have hiked with friends in some fabulous but big scary forests, I’m not unfamiliar with the outfreaking sensation of getting lost, separated, confronted with ropes and raging rivers, and having to make stay or go decisions. Not to mention the huge and humbling respect that comes with being ‘in nature’.
But what’s notable over and above all that, is how all the characters, the group of hikers, behave – react, to one another and to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Impossible not to wonder with which one you identify most – and not to judge some others. The back stories of each individual also unfold in a series of reveries and reflections, so they develop and reveal as the story tracks back and forth.
But like a scattering of bonuses, there are some very memorable, closely-observed moments – the puffed out chest of a hadeda here, a hovering skink there, the fall of light on leaves, rain on skin, welcome distraction from pain and a flash of distant duiker. I can’t help feeling that Penny Haw must have filled up a note book or two on her real life Tsisikamma hike where this story germinated. She may also have spent some time chatting to medics, eating disorder counsellors, rangers, conservationists – and listening deeply to friends. ‘Did you know that the rosettes or spots on every leopard are unique?’ said the girl. ‘I didn’t.’ Personally speaking, I learned a great deal from this book. ​