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Moving to your father’s house and living with him in the mountains of Canada would seem pleasant for most people. That is if your old man hadn’t been absent for most of your life. That made Jess’s transition to live with her father after her mother died harder than it should’ve been.
This is the premise of the novel, “I Am Still Alive”, by Kate Alice Marshall.
Though she found the first week with her father difficult, she eventually formed a newfound bond with her father. But just when Jess accepted her change in lifestyle, it was destroyed all over again when a group of armed men burned down his cabin, due to her father’s past history mishandling money. The men that killed her father then departed on a plane, leaving Jess to fight for her life in the wilderness of Canada.
The novel was originally published July 24, 2018. Even then, it is set apart from several other novels. Most novels with a female lead feature melodramatic romance with a multitude of characters including but not limited to, humans, werewolves, and vampires, and usually have young attractive teens on their covers.
But this book is not like those.
I’d give this book a rating of 8.5/10. It had an excellent narrative, good characters and storyline, as well as several serious threats to the protagonist. There were also times when the book felt a little difficult to read.
A main part of how the story is told is through a flashback system, where the point of view of the main character changes from before and after the incident. I understand that it was a design choice by the author, but I felt like it messed with the flow of the narrative.
Another small problem I had was with Jess’s luck throughout the course of the story. Granted, it made the story more believable and true to how difficult it is to survive in the wild, especially with her disabilities. Some of Jess’s biggest achievements near the start of the novel began to lose significance as she repeatedly experiences setbacks that nearly get her killed every time.
Setting aside the cons of the novel, there are just as many pros. Although her luck may have caused a drop in satisfaction of her achievements, it also highlighted the staggering stakes that she faced by trying to survive. Making each task that much more difficult as the story progressed.
Another pro that makes this novel a good read is the characters and their relationships with one another. The characters feel real and the way they react with each other is realistic as well as cements them into the story and gives purpose to each of their backstories.
Additionally, they don’t only develop relationships with each other, in some cases, they develop relationships with the reader. They give the reader a reason to cheer for them until the very end.
I was unsure about the novel when my friend recommended it to me. But after finishing it, I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in reading as well.
