Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia Book Review

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia Book Review

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date September 4, 2018

There is a place in Minnesota with hundreds of miles of glacial lakes and untouched forests called the Boundary Waters. Ten years ago a man and his son trekked into this wilderness and never returned.

Search teams found their campsite ravaged by what looked like a bear. They were presumed dead until a decade later…the son appeared. Discovered while ransacking an outfitter store, he was violent and uncommunicative and sent to a psychiatric facility. Maya Stark, the assistant language therapist, is charged with making a connection with their high-profile patient. No matter how she tries, however, he refuses to answer questions about his father or the last ten years of his life

But Maya, who was abandoned by her own mother, has secrets, too. And as she’s drawn closer to this enigmatic boy who is no longer a boy, she’ll risk everything to reunite him with his father who has disappeared from the known world.

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia Book Review

A young man off the grid shows up after everyone assumed he was long gone. A Speech Therapist, with her own baggage & history, seems to be the only one who can reach him. Great writing from Mindy Mejia adds in a bit of mystery. Along with descriptions of the treacherous & beautiful terrain of Minnesota, the omnipresent draw of the wilderness is one of the main characters in Leave No Trace. As is should be. The heart of the wilderness is really the center of this book for me.

Off The Grid

Have you read Into The Wild? It details Chris McCandless’s short-lived life & his final days living in Alaska’s wilderness. Its beautiful, heartbreaking & I understand it. There’s a saying that some people are not meant for THIS life. This rat race, dealing with humans, the emotional turmoil, working 9 to 5, playing by THEIR rules. I fully understand the draw of living “off the grid”. Spend one night in the Redwoods in California, or look into the abyss of the Grand Canyon or hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway & you too may understand why someone can willingly choose the wilderness above all else. Once the wilderness truly touches your heart, there is NO going back.

Stellar Writing

Sincerely, the writing in Leave No Trace is nothing less than stellar. There are so many metaphors & so much symbolism running deep into the story. There are so many “full circle” moments in this book I want to tell you all about, but I don’t want to ruin anything for you! Just know there are several instances where I paused to appreciate & admire Mindy Mejia’s writing skill.

We’re All a Little Mad

Leave No Trace is a thriller. But it’s more than that. This book explores the notion of sanity. Heavy subject matter, right? Mindy seeks to define what sanity means to each character individually. There’s a part where Maya compares sanity to a line in the sand. The question is what side of the line are we each on at any given time. When I think about that for a second, it’s a really great question. Also, who draws the line & who determines/judges which side of the line you may be on at any given time. Truly, it’s a precarious situation & one that Mindy explores in Leave No Trace.

THE VERDICT

I am Really Into This book! Leave No Trace is a tale about love & understanding. Just like life, there are pieces of this book that are heartbreaking & pieces that are beautiful. I’m also really into Mindy’s Everything You Want Me To Be & you can read my review here.

Special thanks to Mindy Mejia, Atria/Emily Bestler Books & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MINDY MEJIA

Mindy Mejia is the author of The Dragon Keeper and Everything You Want Me To Be. She writes what she likes to read: contemporary, plot-driven books that deliver both entertainment and substance. Watch for her next thriller, Leave No Trace, coming September 2018.