Book Review : A Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Chistopher Knight, the last hermit lived in the woods for more than a quarter of a century.   He lived in close proximity to people but he remain almost completely undetected for all of that time.   He survived through his clever mind working out solutions to the basic needs of humankind and by stealing the most basic of necessities.  The retelling begins as the police finally catch the elusive burglar, a criminal that had been committing crimes in their area for years. The hermit, Christopher Knight did not attempt to hide his crimes, and answered the questions and admitted to roughly 1000 break ins, one of the most prolific thieves known. 

While he answered their questions, there was so much left unknown.   People asked, but it was one reporter that cracked the hermits self imposed wall.   While they never became friends, the Hermit opened up a bit more to the gentle style of interviewing and understanding that the author displayed.   The author visited  the hermit in jail numerous times as he pieced together a somewhat choppy and broken story of life as a hermit.   The more that was revealed about the Hermit's life in the woods, the more I wanted to know.  But the author was restricted to the scant information that a reclusive hermit was willing to give.  What was clear is that the hermit was only truly living while in the woods by himself.

The author followed the story through to the hermits release from jail and his life in the world after his release.   His last visit with the Hermit was poignant and sad  as the Hermit openly let it be known his unhappiness as he lived in the 'real world'.     He detailed his plans to walk into the woods and let nature take its course.   The author tried to follow up further, but the hermit was done sharing.   I was intrigued from the first page of the book,  The Stranger in the Woods. 

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