Review of "Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home" by Heather (Anish) Anderson

From my review of Heather Anderson's "Thirst" over on Goodreads where I rated the book at 4 out of 5 stars:


Finally a hiking memoir worth reading. Anderson writes movingly and well about her record setting FKT of the PCT. We feel her thirst and wince at descriptions of the intense suffering she forced on her body as she hiked 40 or 50 miles a day for two months. If that were all that the book contained, it would still be well worth the time to read it, but there's more, a lot more.

Anish has managed a rare feat; she's made her suffering universal, accessible and relevant to the wider world. Without beating us over the head with it, the tale of her hike becomes the heart breaking story of how she found herself and her mission, and it hints at how we might do the same, long walk or no.

I've rated the book at four stars, and that may need some explanation. I don't withhold a star because of any flaw with the book, but because I don't think Anderson has finished writing. This is her only book so far, but I believe she's got more stories to tell and will only get better with time. So think of a four star rating as encouragement for her to keep writing because as wonderful as "Thirst" is, I believe she's still got better stories to tell and I hope she does.