Drew Magary

I don't think I've ever felt more compelled to leave a review for a book. I read The Hike in three sittings over a couple of days because I was engaged, surprised, curious, frustrated, or a mix of those things at any given point.

The descent Ben experiences is gut-rending and near unbearable. The introduction of Crab was one of the best parts of the story because it brought humor to a dark beginning and then served to set up the climax of the entire story (which caught me completely off guard, which was nice). Seeing Ben struggle with the desire to get home and the desire to give up was exhausting for me as a reader and I think it helped me connect more to the plight.

It's a weird, weird story with lots of twists. Admittedly, the second third felt long and, for me, didn't contribute a whole lot to the arc of the story other than add a ton of time to Ben's trip, which was disappointing. But the time-loop reveal helped boost my interest and kept me reading closely.

Other people have mentioned the ending, and I have to agree, it's perfect. I had doubts about how Magary would wrap it up and it was done perfectly. I'm sure I'll be revisiting this book sometime in the future to read more closely and see what else I can pick up on a second time through.… (mer)