Edge of Nowhere by John Smelcer
He compared himself to Robinson Crusoe, a sixteen-year old teen who washed up with his dog on an island with only the provisions he had on his back. Seth was salmon catching with his father during an Alaska storm when the duo is whisked into the sea. The storm has the attention of his father and the ships mate who doesn’t realize the fate of the boy and the dog until they dock later in the day. On the island, Seth immediately sets about finding food and fresh water; he is a real survivalist for being 16. Seth knows a lot about what to do and at first they are not successful but as each sun rises, Seth’s determination and skills make their lives more comfortable. For being alone on an island, there are few moments where I read about Seth being emotionally afraid and scared or his fear of being alone forever, Seth just fought through and was very confident of his current situation. He cried a few times and it made me wondered if this was actually feasible. Seth might have been running on adrenaline, Seth was upset with his father over the loss of his mother and perhaps this played into his emotional numbness, perhaps the dog gave him comfort but after considering all this, I still think the book lacked some emotional feelings for a 16-year old. It was an adventure, one filled with myths, stories and educational information as Seth tells us what he knows about the areas, feasible? Well, that is up to you to decide.
