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Lost Canyon
Four people on a backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada find more adventure than they ever imagined. Each of them is drawn to the mountains for reasons as diverse as their own lives. Gwen Foster, a counselor for at-risk youth, is struggling with burnout from the demands of her job. Real estate agent Oscar Barajas is adjusting to the fall of the housing market and being a single parent. Todd Harris, an attorney, is stuck in a lucrative but unfulfilling career--and in a failing marriage. They are all brought together by their trainer, Tracy Cole, a former athlete with a taste for risky pursuits.
When the hikers start up a pristine mountain trail that hasn't been traveled in years, all they have to guide them is a hand-drawn map of a remote, mysterious place called Lost Canyon. At first, the route past high alpine lakes and under towering, snowcapped peaks offers all the freedom and exhilaration they'd hoped for. But when they stumble onto someone who doesn't want to be found, the group finds itself faced with a series of dangerous conflicts, moral dilemmas, confrontations with nature, and an all-out struggle for survival.
Moving effortlessly between city and wilderness, Lost Canyon explores the ways that race, class, and culture shape experience and perception. It examines the choices good people must face in desperate situations. Set in the grand, wild landscape of the California mountains, Lost Canyon is a story of brewing social tensions and breathtaking adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2015
66 people are currently reading
1068 people want to read
About the author
Nina Revoyr
13 books165 followersNina Revoyr was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a white American father, and grew up in Tokyo, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles. She is the author of four novels. Her first book,
The Necessary Hunger
, was described by Time magazine as "the kind of irresistible read you start on the subway at 6 p.m. on the way home from work and keep plowing through until you've turned the last page at 3 a.m. in bed."
Her second novel, Southland, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and "Best Book of 2003," a Book Sense 76 pick, an Edgar Award finalist, and the winner of the Ferro Grumley Award and the Lambda Literary Award. Publishers Weekly called it "Compelling... never lacking in vivid detail and authentic atmosphere, the novel cements Revoyr's reputation as one of the freshest young chroniclers of life in L.A."
Nina’s third book, The Age of Dreaming, was a finalist for the 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Publishers Weekly called it "enormously satisfying;" Library Journal described it as "Fast-moving, riveting, unpredictable and profound," and Los Angeles Magazine wrote that "Nina Revoyr ... is fast becoming one of the city’s finest chroniclers and myth-makers."
Nina's fourth novel, Wingshooters, was published in March, 2011. It is one of O: Oprah Magazine's "Books to Watch For," an IndieBound Indie Next Selection, and a Midwest Connections Pick. Publishers Weekly described it as "remarkable...an accomplished story of family and the dangers of complacency in the face of questionable justice; and Booklist called it "a shattering northern variation on To Kill a Mockingbird.
Nina is the executive vice president of a large child and family service agency in Los Angeles. She has also been an Associate Faculty member at Antioch University, and a Visiting Professor at Cornell University, Occidental College, and Pitzer College. Nina lives in Northeast Los Angeles with her partner, two rowdy dogs, and a pair of bossy cats.
Her second novel, Southland, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller and "Best Book of 2003," a Book Sense 76 pick, an Edgar Award finalist, and the winner of the Ferro Grumley Award and the Lambda Literary Award. Publishers Weekly called it "Compelling... never lacking in vivid detail and authentic atmosphere, the novel cements Revoyr's reputation as one of the freshest young chroniclers of life in L.A."
Nina’s third book, The Age of Dreaming, was a finalist for the 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Publishers Weekly called it "enormously satisfying;" Library Journal described it as "Fast-moving, riveting, unpredictable and profound," and Los Angeles Magazine wrote that "Nina Revoyr ... is fast becoming one of the city’s finest chroniclers and myth-makers."
Nina's fourth novel, Wingshooters, was published in March, 2011. It is one of O: Oprah Magazine's "Books to Watch For," an IndieBound Indie Next Selection, and a Midwest Connections Pick. Publishers Weekly described it as "remarkable...an accomplished story of family and the dangers of complacency in the face of questionable justice; and Booklist called it "a shattering northern variation on To Kill a Mockingbird.
Nina is the executive vice president of a large child and family service agency in Los Angeles. She has also been an Associate Faculty member at Antioch University, and a Visiting Professor at Cornell University, Occidental College, and Pitzer College. Nina lives in Northeast Los Angeles with her partner, two rowdy dogs, and a pair of bossy cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
August 7, 2015
A wilderness thriller with an contemporary twist, Revoyr brings together four unlikely urbanites--Gwen, an African-American social worker and nature-newbie, Oscar, a successful Chicano realtor"trying to get back in touch with himself, Todd, an Anglo lawyer and family man needing a break, and Tracy, their mysterious trainer, who has organized this trip. Together they represent four aspects of Los Angeles itself, heading into the mountains for a simple backpacking trip in the High Sierra. Three receive their own point of view sections--all but the mysterious Tracy, who has brought them together. Part of the fascination of this book is to see how each of them respond to the thrills and dangers of this trip, with their own uniquely vulnerable, uniquely valuable temperaments, skills and personalities.
Revoyr’s depiction of the High Sierra and its glories succeeds in doing in prose what Ansel Adams does with lenses and film—while delivering a thrilling tale of challenge and endurance. In the backcountry of today, the problems of the big city aren't so easily left behind.
Revoyr’s depiction of the High Sierra and its glories succeeds in doing in prose what Ansel Adams does with lenses and film—while delivering a thrilling tale of challenge and endurance. In the backcountry of today, the problems of the big city aren't so easily left behind.
October 6, 2015
What did I think? I thought Wow! Amazing! A feat!
I have read all but one of Nina Revoyr's novels. She is unique as a novelist, able to combine and hold in perfect tension, complex and sometimes opposing viewpoints. She is also one of my city's most fervent chroniclers of the complex and sometimes opposing viewpoints that make up Los Angeles.
Lost Canyon is the story of a hike in the mountains gone very wrong. It is extreme adventure combined with four opposing viewpoints, Mexican drug cartel pot growers, California white supremacists and the neighborhoods of LA. She makes hiking, the drudgery, the mind-blowing beauty, the fear, the exultation sound like the most exciting thing anyone can do.
I have read and loved A Walk in the Woods and Wild. I have hiked in the Humboldt County redwoods. This story blows them all out of the water. I am not really a hiker, I am a wimp. I would never have survived. A story that took me way out of my little woes and sufferings.
I have read all but one of Nina Revoyr's novels. She is unique as a novelist, able to combine and hold in perfect tension, complex and sometimes opposing viewpoints. She is also one of my city's most fervent chroniclers of the complex and sometimes opposing viewpoints that make up Los Angeles.
Lost Canyon is the story of a hike in the mountains gone very wrong. It is extreme adventure combined with four opposing viewpoints, Mexican drug cartel pot growers, California white supremacists and the neighborhoods of LA. She makes hiking, the drudgery, the mind-blowing beauty, the fear, the exultation sound like the most exciting thing anyone can do.
I have read and loved A Walk in the Woods and Wild. I have hiked in the Humboldt County redwoods. This story blows them all out of the water. I am not really a hiker, I am a wimp. I would never have survived. A story that took me way out of my little woes and sufferings.
November 20, 2015
Really 3.5
I was introduced to this book by an author interview on my local NPR radio channel. It was a good interview and my interest was piqued. And adventure story about what could possibly go wrong in a hike in the Sierra Mountains isn’t my regular fare, but I thought, what the heck. I was not disappointed and the book delivered to at least the degree I had hoped.
The story is told through the voices of the three people who join a “gun-ho anybody can do it” fitness instructor for a long backpacking weekend. Because the trail they are prepared to take is closed due to forest fire, they learn of a more rugged and poorly mapped trail by the forest ranger. He’d taken it once. Years ago. But figured it wasn’t too difficult.
Well, he was sort of wrong. But it’s other encounters along the way that provide a page turning read. Plus, the hikers are not experienced and all came along wanting a break from their lives/careers ion the L.A. area. All are pushing middle age. Todd, white and married, is a lawyer feeling hounded by his clients and bored with a wealthy lifestyle. He is originally from Wisconsin and his youthful hunting experiences give him some backcountry knowledge. Oscar is an unmarried Latino parent. A realtor who has helped the neighborhood he grew up in gentrify, and Gwen is a single black woman who provides provides to college-prospective teens in the Watts who sis struggling after the suicide of a teen she had been especially attached to. And their uber-fit fitness instructor is always full steam ahead, heedless of danger, uncompassionate and unable to see the limitations of the others.
This was a very fast read. There were some implausabilities (including whether the ranger would have advised them to take that trail) but I was willing to overlook this and just go with the story. Capably written escape reading.
I was introduced to this book by an author interview on my local NPR radio channel. It was a good interview and my interest was piqued. And adventure story about what could possibly go wrong in a hike in the Sierra Mountains isn’t my regular fare, but I thought, what the heck. I was not disappointed and the book delivered to at least the degree I had hoped.
The story is told through the voices of the three people who join a “gun-ho anybody can do it” fitness instructor for a long backpacking weekend. Because the trail they are prepared to take is closed due to forest fire, they learn of a more rugged and poorly mapped trail by the forest ranger. He’d taken it once. Years ago. But figured it wasn’t too difficult.
Well, he was sort of wrong. But it’s other encounters along the way that provide a page turning read. Plus, the hikers are not experienced and all came along wanting a break from their lives/careers ion the L.A. area. All are pushing middle age. Todd, white and married, is a lawyer feeling hounded by his clients and bored with a wealthy lifestyle. He is originally from Wisconsin and his youthful hunting experiences give him some backcountry knowledge. Oscar is an unmarried Latino parent. A realtor who has helped the neighborhood he grew up in gentrify, and Gwen is a single black woman who provides provides to college-prospective teens in the Watts who sis struggling after the suicide of a teen she had been especially attached to. And their uber-fit fitness instructor is always full steam ahead, heedless of danger, uncompassionate and unable to see the limitations of the others.
This was a very fast read. There were some implausabilities (including whether the ranger would have advised them to take that trail) but I was willing to overlook this and just go with the story. Capably written escape reading.
September 14, 2015
I've been a fan of Revoyr's ever since reading The Necessary Hunger nearly 20 years ago. This book Lost Canyon was a disappointment -- it just felt flat to me. I love survival stories, but this one didn't have the energy I expected. 2.5 stars
August 17, 2015
If you're looking for a book for yourself (or a book club) that has something of everything, you should really consider LOST CANYON. A contemporary drama with steadily rising stakes and well-drawn characters.
I can't tell you how nice it was to get to know this group of four very different people and the modern LA they represent. It is a much needed breath of fresh air to read a book about people who aren't all the same. There's Gwen, a Black woman with a tough childhood who now works with underprivileged kids and worries about whether she can keep going. There's Oscar, who grew up in a poor Latino neighborhood and became a self-made man as a realtor who helped gentrify that same neighborhood. Todd is the Midwest boy turned rich guy, a lawyer whose wife comes from money, who still doesn't quite feel like his life is his own. And there's Tracy, the trainer who never stops and who brings this little band together for a hike that goes very wrong. These are not a group of people who know each other well, and the chief joys of the early sections of the book is watching them size each other up.
The book is a modern twist on DELIVERANCE, one of the classic "man" books. It makes me very happy to see a mix of races (only one of the main 4 is white, even Tracy is half-Japanese) in this story and to have characters who are very aware of their race and how other people see them. I also loved that the strongest (and most reckless) member of the party is a woman. What starts as a story of people challenging themselves to push their limits becomes something very different.
My copy came with a discussion guide and I'm glad to see this marketed towards book clubs. It's a relatively quick read and the characters and plot bring up so much to talk about with other people, I'd absolutely recommend it for a group. (Could be interesting to pair with DELIVERANCE if your group is feeling ambitious.)
I can't tell you how nice it was to get to know this group of four very different people and the modern LA they represent. It is a much needed breath of fresh air to read a book about people who aren't all the same. There's Gwen, a Black woman with a tough childhood who now works with underprivileged kids and worries about whether she can keep going. There's Oscar, who grew up in a poor Latino neighborhood and became a self-made man as a realtor who helped gentrify that same neighborhood. Todd is the Midwest boy turned rich guy, a lawyer whose wife comes from money, who still doesn't quite feel like his life is his own. And there's Tracy, the trainer who never stops and who brings this little band together for a hike that goes very wrong. These are not a group of people who know each other well, and the chief joys of the early sections of the book is watching them size each other up.
The book is a modern twist on DELIVERANCE, one of the classic "man" books. It makes me very happy to see a mix of races (only one of the main 4 is white, even Tracy is half-Japanese) in this story and to have characters who are very aware of their race and how other people see them. I also loved that the strongest (and most reckless) member of the party is a woman. What starts as a story of people challenging themselves to push their limits becomes something very different.
My copy came with a discussion guide and I'm glad to see this marketed towards book clubs. It's a relatively quick read and the characters and plot bring up so much to talk about with other people, I'd absolutely recommend it for a group. (Could be interesting to pair with DELIVERANCE if your group is feeling ambitious.)
April 13, 2024
If you enjoy a thriller set in the great outdoors and you enjoy all of those descriptions of the wilderness than you might enjoy this. Just realize that the thrills start about halfway through the book... There is a little foreshadowing if you are clever enough to spot it, and I did, still I was uncertain exactly what kind of thrills this story would hold. And even though the actual action started kind of late I never was bored. Why? Because I was enjoying the hike the 4 main characters were going on! And that is why I say you should love nature if you read this.
Once the action starts, it comes on swift and serious. Its like suddenly there. And the whole nature of the book changes. Its no longer about 3 somewhat inexperienced hikers being pushed by Tracy, the coach / instructor while they try to do things that maybe is just a tad too hard for them. Hiking for hours while carrying 30 pounds.... Unfamiliar trails.
Then its in your face danger.
And then they are fleeing for their lives. Hard decisions have to be made. Where to go? Because you are out in the middle of nowhere.
From the moment the danger starts the tension is pretty nonstop until the book reaches its end. And throughout those pages there are all sorts of dangers, including nature itself.
The end surprised me. There was a twist there that I didn't expect and in some ways don't understand. But things like that do happen for real so that is probably why the author added it.
This book could serve as a warning about going hiking in areas where people normally don't go hike. Because you never know who or what might be out there.
There is a theme of prejudice against other races in here as well.. The author did a good job of adding that in. Each of the hikers in here is from a different ethnic group. They are well written and they each have their own flaws and ideas and backgrounds. And that makes this such a pleasure to read. As they seem so real. My favorite character was definitely Gwen who seemed so gentle, soft, caring and uncertain of her abilities. The others are Tracy, Oscar and Todd. They each have a part to play and they suffer in here.
So if you do go out hiking for real, please do not end up like these four. Remember to carry an Emergency Locator Beacon so if something happens you can summon help from the emergency responders. That beacon can save your life.
Once the action starts, it comes on swift and serious. Its like suddenly there. And the whole nature of the book changes. Its no longer about 3 somewhat inexperienced hikers being pushed by Tracy, the coach / instructor while they try to do things that maybe is just a tad too hard for them. Hiking for hours while carrying 30 pounds.... Unfamiliar trails.
Then its in your face danger.
And then they are fleeing for their lives. Hard decisions have to be made. Where to go? Because you are out in the middle of nowhere.
From the moment the danger starts the tension is pretty nonstop until the book reaches its end. And throughout those pages there are all sorts of dangers, including nature itself.
The end surprised me. There was a twist there that I didn't expect and in some ways don't understand. But things like that do happen for real so that is probably why the author added it.
This book could serve as a warning about going hiking in areas where people normally don't go hike. Because you never know who or what might be out there.
There is a theme of prejudice against other races in here as well.. The author did a good job of adding that in. Each of the hikers in here is from a different ethnic group. They are well written and they each have their own flaws and ideas and backgrounds. And that makes this such a pleasure to read. As they seem so real. My favorite character was definitely Gwen who seemed so gentle, soft, caring and uncertain of her abilities. The others are Tracy, Oscar and Todd. They each have a part to play and they suffer in here.
So if you do go out hiking for real, please do not end up like these four. Remember to carry an Emergency Locator Beacon so if something happens you can summon help from the emergency responders. That beacon can save your life.
Read
October 23, 2015dude.
(to be cont'd)
(to be cont'd)
March 10, 2015
I assume there is a market for this kind of book and I'm just the wrong demographic. It is a basic adventure story of backpackers who get more than they bargained for. I appreciated the inclusion of characters from different races and that related issues were addressed. The descriptive nature writing was fine. Overall, I found the book predictable and superficial.
September 4, 2015
I was really into this in the beginning. I even looked up other books she had written. And then I just got plain old bored. The end just plummeted for me. I rarely do this but I totally skimmed the end, it was so dull.
May 26, 2018
The last third saved the book. The beginning was really slow building the characters. Their internal snarky thoughts about anyone outside of their race were annoying.
November 4, 2018
Nina Revoyr is a writer I come back to again and again. I just love her writing style and find it very relaxing to read, even though in Lost Canyon the plot itself is tense and high-stakes. She never gets in a hurry, each scene is fully fleshed out so you feel like you’re there, and every character is a complex, realistic, flawed person. I especially love how she brings together a diverse group of people and shows what develops when different privileges and perspectives collide. I just want to grab a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and watch the show.
Lost Canyon is about a group of hikers who venture out of their comfortable lives in LA and into the Sierras. They’re brought together by Tracy, a pushy athletic trainer. You know the type—they’ll say, “One more set!” when they really mean three more sets. Then there’s Gwen, who works with underprivileged teens, Oscar, a flashy real estate agent, and Todd, a lawyer at an elite firm. Their group is a mix of ethnicities, backgrounds, and physical ability, and they’re all going to be pushed to the limit because—you guessed it—this hiking trip goes very, very badly. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot—this is one camping trip you should experience for yourself.
Lost Canyon is about a group of hikers who venture out of their comfortable lives in LA and into the Sierras. They’re brought together by Tracy, a pushy athletic trainer. You know the type—they’ll say, “One more set!” when they really mean three more sets. Then there’s Gwen, who works with underprivileged teens, Oscar, a flashy real estate agent, and Todd, a lawyer at an elite firm. Their group is a mix of ethnicities, backgrounds, and physical ability, and they’re all going to be pushed to the limit because—you guessed it—this hiking trip goes very, very badly. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot—this is one camping trip you should experience for yourself.
August 15, 2015
This superbly executed high-stakes adventure novel follows four urbanites from Los Angeles for a weekend backpacking trip through the Sierra Nevada Mountains intended to be contemplative on how to reboot their lives and quickly challenges their physical and moral stamina as self-realizations and doubts abound. As the author takes us into the souls of the diverse group of team members, their motives, and their part of Los Angeles we learn how this affects the first impressions they have of each other as the only one who knows everyone is the trail leader Tracy and then only at a superficial level. When the intended well-used and monitored trail is closed due to fires, Tracy convinces the others that unused unmonitored trail will provide an enhanced experience of the wilderness without the hoards of people. The narrators are Gwen, an African-American woman who works with at-risk youths in Watts, a novice hiker who is grieving the death of a promising student, Oscar, a Hispanic and single father, who went from riches to rags as the real estate market changed, and Todd, a lawyer who married old money and feels stifled by all the pretense that comes with it. It is interesting to have the story narrated from their different perspectives, how they come together as a team and how they each react to the challenges presented to them. What starts out admiring the majesty of the landscape and the views, quickly turns dark and scary with one misstep and encounters with conniving and demented characters, has the team fighting for their survival. The reader is left breathless by the author’s poetic language of the magnificence of the landscape and tension created where even the simplest of decisions by the team might mean life or death.
I quickly turned pages as I felt like I was outrunning the bad guys, the horrific challenges mother nature presented, and so wanted to know who was going to win the battle. This is an excellent book club choice as it explores issues of race and gender, wilderness and civilization, and where does this all fit in when your newly formed team needs to put aside individuality for survival.
I quickly turned pages as I felt like I was outrunning the bad guys, the horrific challenges mother nature presented, and so wanted to know who was going to win the battle. This is an excellent book club choice as it explores issues of race and gender, wilderness and civilization, and where does this all fit in when your newly formed team needs to put aside individuality for survival.
Read
August 26, 2015*cue the banjo music* If you need an intense read to cap off your August, this is it. It's about a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada that goes horribly, horribly wrong. A group of hikers, each with their own reasons for wanting to get away for a while, decide to traverse a trail that hasn't been used for many years. But what they find instead of adventure is someone who didn't want to be found. I can't say anymore without spoiling it, so I'll just say struggle, struggle, survival, more struggle, intense, intense, intense!
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July 24, 2015
The Lost Canyon is an interesting book on several levels with a strangely dissatisfying ending. There is much fodder for discussion for book clubs; plenty of interest for those who have spent time in the natural world to ponder on; issues of race and class; and a meditation on living in the modern world – both the urban one and the natural one.
The book starts with a fitness instructor who organizes a four day hiking expedition in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a few of her clients. Inexplicably, right at the beginning of the novel, two participants immediately drop out. I thought it was strange to even introduce these characters and then remove them – better to have edited the idea out in the first place because it did not add to the story in any way.
The four main characters – a white male, a Japanese American female, an African American female and a Hispanic male, head off for a four day hiking trip. There is some back story provided about each. There are some stereotypes inserted into each of these people: the white male has experience in the outdoors, the Hispanic and African American characters are urban only with little or no outdoors experience and some fears around the journey and the Japanese American is the fitness instructor who acts with a mysterious mix of being a survivalist and also talks about disappearing into the wilderness. It would have been interesting to see some of the stereotypes turned on their heads.
At any rate, the first part of the story is almost a Waldenesque meditation on each person’s connection with the natural world. A very calm, peaceful setting is established and the reader falls into the rhythm of the hike as they traverse the wilderness. There is definitely a sense of peace that reminded me of Walden pond and Thoreau as I read.
About halfway through the book, the whole thing is turned on its head as the hikers are taken at gunpoint – first by Mexican cartel members protecting their pot farm and then by white supremacists, who kill the Mexican guard and then take the hikers hostage as they protect their own pot farm and use the hikers as slave labor to destroy the cartel farm.
A series of action packed events occur that are potentially life changing for each of the hikers. There would be too many spoilers at this point so I will save all those twists and turns for the readers.
But as I indicated at the beginning, the conclusion is strangely dissatisfying. For me, part of that is because I have been on some intense hiking and backpacking adventures with people I didn’t know and it creates bonds that I feel are much stronger than the ones in the book appear to be at the end. I think the idea is there but the feeling doesn’t come through in the story. The other issue for me was that there were new story ideas introduced at the end that were really stories on their own and the threads of a whole new series of ideas. It didn’t make sense.
I was never comfortable with the fitness instructors/hike leader’s character. In fact, from the earliest descriptions right through to the end, I felt that she was almost mentally unstable and I would never have set out on that hike with her at all. A hike leader should encourage and inspire participants and would never push inexperienced hikers like these beyond their capable limits. In fact, it is possible that if the characters had more experience, it could have been an even more challenging story between all of the characters. One could almost call this book Deliverance Lite.
That is not to say there are not a lot of important issues that come up for discussion here. One is of course that of race and the stereotypes of what being “outdoorsy” means and race in relation to hiking, camping etc. Another is the divide between the urban/suburban experience and that of the natural world. Set in Los Angeles with the Sierra Nevada mountains only a few hours away, it shows that we as humans in some ways have strayed far from nature but in fact, nature is close to many urban centers and can reclaim quickly.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and hike and have the luxury of nature all around me. There have been several murders in the mountains and this book made me ponder criminal enterprise in using the national forests as pot farms. Cartels and organized crime are no doubt ruthless in protecting those interests and it made me wonder how often innocent parties have stumbled onto these enterprises and been seriously injured or murdered in the act of doing so. To that end, this book offers an excellent jumping off point to discuss that issue.
It is also offers good discussion points about how we pursue our livings in modern society and the cost to our mental and physical health in so doing. Each of the characters discovers in the course of the trip that there are compromises we make in life in the pursuit of money. One character had given up his connections to the natural world because of the time required for his corporate gig. Another realized that while he strove for a white collar living, he wasn’t living a balanced life and that money will come and go quickly. The discussion point here is about balance in life and that balance includes understanding, incorporating and investing ourselves and our children in the natural world. The questions around conservation and ecology that continue to arise in each generation are important questions.
Despite the unevenness of the book, I enjoyed the ideas. I loved the discussion points that were raised and I have to admit, the twists and turns made this book so interesting that I read it in two days. This is a great read for those who want to ponder thoughts about the natural world and for those who are in book clubs or discussion groups because there are a lot of weighty issues to discuss here.
The book starts with a fitness instructor who organizes a four day hiking expedition in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for a few of her clients. Inexplicably, right at the beginning of the novel, two participants immediately drop out. I thought it was strange to even introduce these characters and then remove them – better to have edited the idea out in the first place because it did not add to the story in any way.
The four main characters – a white male, a Japanese American female, an African American female and a Hispanic male, head off for a four day hiking trip. There is some back story provided about each. There are some stereotypes inserted into each of these people: the white male has experience in the outdoors, the Hispanic and African American characters are urban only with little or no outdoors experience and some fears around the journey and the Japanese American is the fitness instructor who acts with a mysterious mix of being a survivalist and also talks about disappearing into the wilderness. It would have been interesting to see some of the stereotypes turned on their heads.
At any rate, the first part of the story is almost a Waldenesque meditation on each person’s connection with the natural world. A very calm, peaceful setting is established and the reader falls into the rhythm of the hike as they traverse the wilderness. There is definitely a sense of peace that reminded me of Walden pond and Thoreau as I read.
About halfway through the book, the whole thing is turned on its head as the hikers are taken at gunpoint – first by Mexican cartel members protecting their pot farm and then by white supremacists, who kill the Mexican guard and then take the hikers hostage as they protect their own pot farm and use the hikers as slave labor to destroy the cartel farm.
A series of action packed events occur that are potentially life changing for each of the hikers. There would be too many spoilers at this point so I will save all those twists and turns for the readers.
But as I indicated at the beginning, the conclusion is strangely dissatisfying. For me, part of that is because I have been on some intense hiking and backpacking adventures with people I didn’t know and it creates bonds that I feel are much stronger than the ones in the book appear to be at the end. I think the idea is there but the feeling doesn’t come through in the story. The other issue for me was that there were new story ideas introduced at the end that were really stories on their own and the threads of a whole new series of ideas. It didn’t make sense.
I was never comfortable with the fitness instructors/hike leader’s character. In fact, from the earliest descriptions right through to the end, I felt that she was almost mentally unstable and I would never have set out on that hike with her at all. A hike leader should encourage and inspire participants and would never push inexperienced hikers like these beyond their capable limits. In fact, it is possible that if the characters had more experience, it could have been an even more challenging story between all of the characters. One could almost call this book Deliverance Lite.
That is not to say there are not a lot of important issues that come up for discussion here. One is of course that of race and the stereotypes of what being “outdoorsy” means and race in relation to hiking, camping etc. Another is the divide between the urban/suburban experience and that of the natural world. Set in Los Angeles with the Sierra Nevada mountains only a few hours away, it shows that we as humans in some ways have strayed far from nature but in fact, nature is close to many urban centers and can reclaim quickly.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and hike and have the luxury of nature all around me. There have been several murders in the mountains and this book made me ponder criminal enterprise in using the national forests as pot farms. Cartels and organized crime are no doubt ruthless in protecting those interests and it made me wonder how often innocent parties have stumbled onto these enterprises and been seriously injured or murdered in the act of doing so. To that end, this book offers an excellent jumping off point to discuss that issue.
It is also offers good discussion points about how we pursue our livings in modern society and the cost to our mental and physical health in so doing. Each of the characters discovers in the course of the trip that there are compromises we make in life in the pursuit of money. One character had given up his connections to the natural world because of the time required for his corporate gig. Another realized that while he strove for a white collar living, he wasn’t living a balanced life and that money will come and go quickly. The discussion point here is about balance in life and that balance includes understanding, incorporating and investing ourselves and our children in the natural world. The questions around conservation and ecology that continue to arise in each generation are important questions.
Despite the unevenness of the book, I enjoyed the ideas. I loved the discussion points that were raised and I have to admit, the twists and turns made this book so interesting that I read it in two days. This is a great read for those who want to ponder thoughts about the natural world and for those who are in book clubs or discussion groups because there are a lot of weighty issues to discuss here.
October 27, 2015
Really disappointing. As an outdoors person who loves hiking and mountains, this thriller seemed like a safe fun bet. The author's basic writing style and tendency to the lowest common denominator, turned a promising story into predictable fluff. Even attempts to make something unpredictable fall flat. Some loose ends are never tied and some are tied up in a rush at the end in unimpressive ways. Glad I borrowed this one from the library.
October 11, 2015
Reads like a movie treatment, and as such, comes off a bit facile -- especially in light of stereotypes and race relations. Doesn't really kick in until about 80 pages in. A quick, easy, throw-away read.
March 29, 2016
Flat clichéd characters and an unbelievable plot to boot. What a waste of time...
October 25, 2018
Nina Revoyr's thriller about a backpacking trip-gone-wrong reveals her intimate familiarity with the Los Angeles neighborhoods from which her characters hail, as well as the Sierras into which they venture. The overworked nonprofit employee and the Latino man who has both profited from and been hurt by Northeast L.A. gentrification--these are my people. Neither they nor their other urban hiking companion know what they're in for, in a wilderness whose harsh landscape is the perfect hideout for drug cartels and white supremacists. Although Revoyr's writing veers expository in the beginning, it relaxes when the hike begins. The book is a page-turner that wraps up key storylines without ever showing all its cards (I have some theories about Tracy).
August 12, 2019
The beginning was slow for me as I was looking forward to the time in the woods, but I know the characters needed to be developed first. This book transported me to the wildness that I love!
July 17, 2015
In which a Californian hiking trip in the fictional Cloud Lakes area of the Sierra Nevada mountains turns into nothing less than a colossal shitshow. Three Californians primed for personal transformation are rebuilding their lives and have discovered solace in the outdoors. Gwen is a deskbound social worker in Watts who helps disadvantaged youth; she spends time pondering race, socioeconomics, and social justice and is haunted by the suicide of one of her brightest charges. Single dad and worrywart Oscar is pondering his true vocation and reflects much about how his former enclave of a Mexican neighborhood is changing even as he sells off bits and pieces in his real estate job. Todd is an attorney whose main case saps his energy; he is “…tired of wealthy, entitled clients and of helping people who didn’t really need help.” The musings of these three are elements that remain constant throughout the story, and while they detract from the “adventure” aspect (for that, see C.J. Box), they also set the tale refreshingly apart from the usual adventure genre crap. The little group of deep thinkers is counterpointed by adventurous, overconfident leader Tracy, who blithely dismisses various concerns (e.g., snow) and proclaims the trip as “…no obstacle course, no artificial Tough Mudder bullshit.” After getting detoured from its intended route, the party sets out for the unmarked, long-disused, titular destination; with a nod to James Dickey’s Deliverance, they encounter pockets of nasty people (no spoilers but see: Emily Brady’s Humboldt: Life on America’s Marijuana Frontier and The Camp of the Saints by Jean Raspail). Challenge after challenge wounds, incapacitates, and saps each to the core. VERDICT A direct, bangin’ read for those interested in how people deal with physical and moral challenges.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
September 6, 2015
I finished the book in a day and loved it.
An athletic club instructor invites three people to a hiking trip. People in her group don't really know each other. They're apprehensive about the trip because they're from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. The story is told from the point of view of everyone except for Tracy, the trip’s organizer. A brush fire forces them to change their plans and they decide to hike on a trail no one uses. The social tension and biases they have are revealed and break down as they're confronted with all kinds of danger—stumbling upon a pot farm, getting trapped between rival growers, and getting caught in terrible weather.
Character List:
Gwen: black counselor for at-risk youth in Watts grieving over a student’s suicide
Oscar: Hispanic real estate agent and single father in Highland Park witnessing his neighborhood’s gentrification
Todd: rich white lawyer from the Westside who hates his job
Tracy: Hapa (half Japanese/half white) athletic trainer who plans the hike
http://catoverlord.blogspot.com/2015/...
https://www.facebook.com/CatOverlord
https://twitter.com/thecatoverlord
An athletic club instructor invites three people to a hiking trip. People in her group don't really know each other. They're apprehensive about the trip because they're from different ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds. The story is told from the point of view of everyone except for Tracy, the trip’s organizer. A brush fire forces them to change their plans and they decide to hike on a trail no one uses. The social tension and biases they have are revealed and break down as they're confronted with all kinds of danger—stumbling upon a pot farm, getting trapped between rival growers, and getting caught in terrible weather.
Character List:
Gwen: black counselor for at-risk youth in Watts grieving over a student’s suicide
Oscar: Hispanic real estate agent and single father in Highland Park witnessing his neighborhood’s gentrification
Todd: rich white lawyer from the Westside who hates his job
Tracy: Hapa (half Japanese/half white) athletic trainer who plans the hike
http://catoverlord.blogspot.com/2015/...
https://www.facebook.com/CatOverlord
https://twitter.com/thecatoverlord
September 21, 2015
I always enjoy Revoyr's writing and enthusiastically looked forward to the publication of Lost Canyon. First of all--a warning. Don't start reading this in the evening if you have to go to work the next day, because once you're on the path, you won't be able to put it down until the end! I don't know if it is the characters, the descriptions of the mountains, Revoyr's ability to make you feel you are right there with them or something else, but you will feel deeply immersed in this book.
As usual, Revoyr packs a lot into one book. It seems like a camping trip, but it is really a subtle commentary on our lives, social conditions, and the environment. You'll get caught up in the story, but once finished you'll want to go back and re-read to savor the mountains (and I'm not even an outdoor type!) and revisit the characters.
Can't wait for another book from one of my favorite authors!
As usual, Revoyr packs a lot into one book. It seems like a camping trip, but it is really a subtle commentary on our lives, social conditions, and the environment. You'll get caught up in the story, but once finished you'll want to go back and re-read to savor the mountains (and I'm not even an outdoor type!) and revisit the characters.
Can't wait for another book from one of my favorite authors!
July 11, 2015
Outstanding book in so many ways. It is a first rate suspense tale, and an exciting trek in nature for those who love to hike. The novel also contains an analysis of culture, race, and how people respond to pressure, as well as providing engaging and believable characters. On the eve of leaving for an NEH trip for history teachers, I thought I'd just glance at the ARC I received before getting back to required reading. Well, I couldn't put it down, and even canceled my own sunset hike I had planned tonight so I could finish the book. Ms. Re our is a gifted writer and I will definitely pick up her other books as soon as possible. On future hikes, I will also make sure I stick to well-traveled trails!
September 12, 2015
This book could've gone so wrong: the premise is almost embarrassingly cliched. Four near strangers--black, white, Asian, Latino--living in LA go for a hiking excursion in search of a place called Lost Canyon. Sounds like Crash but in the woods right? And yet Revoyr manages to pull this off. For starters, she really cares about the characters. Secondly, was a strategic decision to make one of them a hero. To avoid spoilers, I won't say who but it's an interesting choice, which pays off at the end.
About two thirds of the way I in, I was literally gripping the book and could not put it down. It really is thrilling. Overall, not my favorite by this author, but an enjoyable read.
About two thirds of the way I in, I was literally gripping the book and could not put it down. It really is thrilling. Overall, not my favorite by this author, but an enjoyable read.
November 12, 2015
I found LOST CANYON to be a wonderful page turner and the characters were well drawn and deep, so I give this one five stars. I love Revoyr's description of the southern California mountain landscape. It's obvious she knows the setting first hand. Would love to get my hands on a similar novel, one that has landscape and big gain, as the late literary agent John Ware (who repped IN THIN AIR) would say. The cute hand drawn map at the beginning gave me the wrong message, though. I thought it would be a light, cute story, which I didn't want. And it wasn't.
October 10, 2015
I can't resist a novel set in the high Sierra that grapples with racial dynamics and offers redemption through wilderness experience (even when this particular wilderness experience is so off-the-charts difficult and terrifying). I love that Revoyr doesn't wrap up every story thread at the end, and particularly like the way in which she leaves one character's story unresolved. It gives the novel breathing room.
December 6, 2015
I like how Nina Revoyr writes about LA, and how she writes about race. It feels real. This book gets a little too bonkers for my taste toward the end, but the strength in it lies in the characters. The switching-viewpoint chapters are done really nicely, in that you really see the nuances of how each member of the group is relating in each moment to the rest.
July 4, 2016
Read this because of a good review in the Star/Tribune. It was an OK mystery but I didn't find it well written, the characters weren't well developed, and the wilderness experience was way off. One should never head off into the wilderness under the conditions this inexperienced group did. Disappointing read.
June 29, 2019
She wrote with confidence about race relations, but I found the plot very predictable. Nice ability to capture the landscape, but found it absolutely ridiculous how many terrible things happened to these people in an area that is time and again noted for its grandeur. Quick read but nothing special.
July 7, 2015
Loved loved this book! On my favorites list. I thought it started a bit slow, but later I was happy that the author delved into each character so well. Realistic and identifiable, I found it hard to set this down...a great summer read!
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