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

This is the story of Christopher Thomas Knight, also known as 'The North Pond Hermit', who lived in the Maine woods, without human interaction, for 27 years - from 1986 until 2013.


Christopher Thomas Knight

*****

Christopher Thomas Knight grew up in in the small town of Albion, Maine with his parents and five siblings. The Knight family - which was exceptionally clever, capable and self-sufficient - kept to itself, rarely interacting with neighbors or other townsfolk. This may have factored into Christopher's decision to isolate himself from all human contact when he was a young adult.


Christopher Thomas Knight as a young man

Knight appears to have had a relatively normal childhood, during which he attended school and even had some friends. After graduating from high school, Knight got his own place and briefly worked for a security company. Knight left the job unexpectedly - without even returning his tools - and embarked on a road trip, driving all the way to Florida. Then, in 1986 - when he was 20-years-old - Knight returned to Maine, abandoned his vehicle, and hiked into the woods - where he proceeded to make his home.

Knight carefully avoided human contact while he looked for a spot to establish his campsite - a place that wouldn't be found by hikers or hunters, and which couldn't be seen from above. After trying out a half-dozen locales, Knight finally found the perfect site - a boulder-shrouded clearing near North Pond in central Maine. Knight proceeded to make this his residence, and lived there - isolated and alone - for the next 27 years. Knight didn't even contact his parents, who - he later speculated - thought he was 'off on an adventure.'

Needing supplies, Knight repeatedly broke into cabins around North Pond. Knight was a master thief, using his knowledge of security devices to good purpose. Knight never took expensive items, but stole 'necessities' like: food, candy, clothing, tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, blankets, propane tanks, flashlights, batteries, toiletries, watches, books, Playboy magazines, radios, electronic games, bug spray, small amounts of cash (in case he ever needed to go to a store), and so on.

The thief, whose identify was unknown, became known as 'The North Pond Hermit' - and people in the area grew increasingly frightened, angry, and frustrated as the vandalism went on week after week.....month after month.....and year after year. Surveillance equipment was installed in some cabins, and in a summer camp that was one of Knight's favorite targets, but the hermit was too wily to be caught. Finally, monitoring devices became too sophisticated for Knight to evade, and he was apprehended in 2013 - at the age of forty-seven.


Surveillance camera photo of Knight


Knight's picture caught in a surveillance photo during a burglary

A hermitic existence in the woods wasn't easy, but Knight perfected his routine over the years. The recluse took sponge baths, brushed his teeth regularly, and - though he never had a mirror - shaved and trimmed his hair. Knight washed his clothes, and - when his tent and bedding got moldy - changed them out for new (stolen) ones.

The hermit kept his food in waterproof containers, ate easily spoiled items first, and always buried his trash. This cornucopia of garbage - when unearthed by police after Knight was arrested - provides a fascinating picture of his 'menu.'

Fearing discovery, Knight NEVER lit a fire - even in the frigid Maine winters. That he didn't freeze to death - or even get frostbite - is almost unbelievable (to me). I get cold fingers and toes just thinking about it. Brrrrr!

The author of this book - journalist Michael Finkel - wrote to Knight in jail, while the hermit was awaiting trial for more than 1000 robberies.


Author Michael Finkel

Knight never became 'friendly' with Finkel, but acquiesed enough to exchange several letters and allow a few visits....all of which provided Finkel with material for this book.


Knight grew a beard in jail, while awaiting trial


Knight being escorted by police

Finkel describes Knight's forest adventures in great detail, and tries to comprehend the reasons for the recluse's behavior. This is a tough call, since Knight himself can't explain why he went into hiding.

To try to understand Knight, Finkel researched - and writes about - hermits throughout history. The writer describes their philosophy, religion, behavior, means of survival, etc. Finkel also interviewed many psychologists, and includes their observations in the book. Finally, Finkel speculates that Knight may be on the autism spectrum, though this doesn't really explain his desire (or perhaps need) for extreme solitude.

Once Knight was arrested, he had to endure jail, interviews with police, and interactions with lawyers - all of which was very difficult for him.


Knight with his lawyer in court

Eventually, the hermit was compelled to return to his family, get a job, and conduct himself like an average person....which almost drove him to suicide.

This is an interesting book about an unusual person, and would be a good primer for an outdoorswoman (or man) who likes to camp out. The book doesn't, however, provide any 'universal truths' about anything.

Still, it's a fascinating story, well worth reading.

Photos of Knight's campsite in Maine






Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel" by Amor Towles

Prior to the 1917 Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov was one of Russia's elites - a wealthy, erudite aristocrat who mingled with other sophisticates. Rostov spent his time reading, listening to music, traveling, dining on fine food, drinking expensive wine, writing the occasional poem, and so on.



After the Revolution, in 1922, a Bolshevik Tribunal declares the Count a 'Former Person' and sentences him to life imprisonment in Moscow's luxurious Metropol Hotel - where the rich nobleman has been living for the past few years. Rostov can go anywhere in the hotel....but one step outside and he'll be shot.



The Count is moved from his large opulent 3rd floor suite........



to a cramped attic room, and begins his life as a political prisoner.



The Metropol Hotel is a far cry from a Siberian Gulag. The Metropol contains the upscale Boyarsky restaurant; the Shalyapin Bar; a barbershop; a shoeshine service; a florist; a seamstress; and so forth - all the accommodations needed by wealthy foreigners and visiting Bolshevik apparatchiks.





With great foresight, the Count has secreted a large number of collectible gold coins in the legs of his desk. So - though Rostov is confined - he has the means for wining and dining and keeping up his elegant appearance.

During Rostov's imprisonment, he develops a number of pivotal friendships, including:

- Nina Kulikova - a nine-year-old girl who's living at the Metropol with her bureaucrat father. Nina has a passkey that she and the Count use to explore the entire hotel. Nina gives the passkey to the Count before she leaves, which he puts to good use.



- Andrey, the Boyarsky's French maître d' - who knows how to juggle;



And Emile, the Boyarksy's chef - who has a knack for creating elegant dishes, even with severe food shortages.



In a memorable scene, Rostov, Andrey, and Emile - who spent three years rounding up the scarce ingredients for French bouillabaisse - sit down to enjoy their wonderful meal.



- Marina, the Metropol's cross-eyed seamstress. She teaches Rostov to re-attach his popped buttons and to do all manner of fancy stitching.



- Anna Urbanova, a beautiful Russian actress whose career ups and downs depend on Stalin's whims. The count has a sporadic, long-term affair with her.



The Count also gets regular visits from his poet/writer friend Mishka, who keeps Rostov apprised of the Communist's increasing repression and censorship. Mishka is devastated when he has to remove a reference to 'Berlin having the most delicious bread' from a book he's editing.



The Bolsheviks' tyranny extends to wine as well. The Metropol's staff is ordered to strip the labels off ALL the Boyarsky restaurant's bottles of wine (some of which are VERY expensive), so customers can only order 'white' or 'red' for a set price. This almost drives the oenophile Count to suicide.



The most unpleasant character in the story is the 'Bishop' - a mean-spirited waiter who resents the Count's wealth, education, and elegant manners. The Bishop is constantly maneuvering to take the Count down a peg, and to make his life more difficult. After the Count volunteers to become a waiter at the Boyarsky, his clashes with the Bishop become especially rancorous.



Life under Communist rule is hard, with government spies keeping track of what everyone does and says. 👀 Thus people are regularly imprisoned - or sent to Siberia - for real or imagined infractions.



This random incarceration (inadvertently) results in the most significant event in Rostov's life.....he becomes the guardian of a clever, spirited little girl.



Rostov spends decades in the Metropol, where he cogitates about life; eats fabulous meals; meets people from all over the world; has interesting conversations; plays intellectual games; and - all things considered - lives a very full life.



I enjoyed the book, which - at various times - is funny, dramatic, exciting, suspenseful, and heartbreaking. The story depicts (what I assume is) a realistic picture of the circumscribed lives of people in a Communist society - which is probably still true of Russia today.

This is a very good book, highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5 stars 

Review of "Westwind: A Novel" by Ian Rankin

Westwind by Ian Rankin was originally published in 1990, and after a bit of tweaking by the author, was re-released in 2020. Westwind is a standalone thriller, not part of Rankin's 'Inspector Rebus' detective series.

*****

As the book opens, the United States, which is becoming more isolationist, is withdrawing all troops from Europe. The military drawdown is being monitored by a British satellite called Zephyr, whose pictures are observed in real time by a ground crew at Binbrook Station in Lincolnshire.





Zephyr unexpectedly goes dark, which alarms the Binbrook observers, who can't figure out what happened. However, Zephyr comes back online after 3 minutes and 40 seconds, and the ground crew relaxes - except for one expert analyst called Paul Vincent. Vincent thinks he saw a computer glitch, but before he can discuss it with his friend and colleague Martin Hepton, Paul is sent away to a treatment center for a 'medical leave.'



Meanwhile, an American space shuttle called Argos - on a routine mission to release a communications satellite - crashes to Earth.



Argos has only one survivor, a British astronaut called Major Michael Dreyfuss, who was a 'guest' on the shuttle. Dreyfuss isn't badly injured, but claims to have partial amnesia, so he can't remember what happened.



This is very suspicious to American authorities, who repeatedly try to question him.

Binbrook Station's Martin Hepton thinks the Zephyr and Argos mishaps might be connected, and decides to look into the matter.



Hepton is warned off by a threatening woman called Harry, but he ignores the warning and visits his friend Vincent at the medical clinic. Vincent behaves squirrely and comes to a bad end, but not before he whispers the word 'Argos.'

Hepton is now CONVINCED the Zephyr and Argos incidents are connected, and sets out to investigate. Hepton is assisted in this endeavor by his former girlfriend, journalist Jill Watson.



Hepton and Watson manage to contact Dreyfuss in the United States, and the astronaut returns to England to help them. Hepton, Watson, and Dreyfuss find themselves in the sights of hired killers, who repeatedly try to murder them.



As the three amateur sleuths go forward, they have interactions - both good and bad - with diplomats, agents of MI5 and MI6, and military brass from various countries. It's clear that something REALLY HUGE is afoot, and the investigators have to figure out what it is.....and try to stop it.

The story is entertaining but it's clearly an early effort by the talented Rankin. On the upside, satellites, shuttles, soldiers, and spies make for a good story. On the downside, the 'conspiracy' at the heart of the book is too complicated and not believable (in my opinion).

Still, there's plenty of action and intrigue and I enjoyed the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You" by Matthew Inman

This humorous book, composed of cartoons about cats, is sure to make pet lovers smile. The comical cats in the book get up to all kinds of tomfoolery....both at home and - in the case of the two corporate cats called "the Bobs" - at work.

To provide a little flavor of the book I'll give some examples of the droll entries. 

If you're worried that your cat might be plotting to kill you, look out for the following:

Your kitty shovels too much litter after pottying....he's practicing for burying bodies.

Your kitty lays all over your electronics....he's stopping you from communicating with the outside world. 

In one set of cartoons a tabby that wants more attention meows and rubs against her owner - who's busy working at his computer. When these maneuvers don't work the cat gets more and more creative. Among other things she proceeds to: use a bullhorn, launch herself at the owner's head with a trebuchet, make a party with balloons, cake, and punch, and - as a last straw - scratch up the furniture. THAT finally does the trick. (Ha ha ha)

****************************************

The two corporate worker cats, Bob and Bob, are your typical office jokesters. When they want to derail a meeting, for instance, the two Bobs call the boss and say ".....your wife was hit by a meteor.....she's on fire....you need to come to the hospital immeteor-ately." (They're punsters as well!)

Bob and Bob normally wear (only) ties but show up in undies on casual Friday. When the CEO says "....[by] casual Friday I meant t-shirts and jeans, one Bob says "I can think of nothing more casual than my enchanting cheetah thong" and the other Bob says "I think he's got man-envy for our incredible taste in underpants." 

The Bobs also spell out insulting messages with dead flies, bully fellow employees to get their pudding cups and sandwiches, and ruthlessly fire the CEO ("Don't make this harder than it has to be, Jim.")

In the cartoon that made me laugh the most the Bobs post a xerox copy of one of their rumps....with an arrow pointing to the butt hole. The message on the picture says: "Our CEO, Mr. Jimmers is a giant Stinky. Ha ha ha." And the cats sign the message "Anonymous (not the Bobs)." 

The book's a quick light read that would entertain cat owners.... or anyone amused by funny animals. Highly recommended if you need a laugh.

Rating: 3.5 stars