Into the Forest

Jean Hegland gives us a provocative novel about a family who lived far on the out skirts of a northern California small town surrounded by second growth redwood forest. The two girls, Eva, 17, and Nell (the protagonist) 16, explored the forest in their younger years, heeding the many warnings of their mother to beware the many perils lurking in the woods. As they became older, their interest in playing in the forest waned, replaced by Eva’s commitment to ballet and Nell’s advanced self-education to prepare for matriculation to Harvard.

Unfortunately, their mother’s untimely death heralds the collapse of their society as they know it. Political and environmental catastrophes create anarchy on a local and grander scale.

Deadly epidemics break out across the nation as modern age medical systems become obsolete without electricity to power the diagnostic equipment and refrigerate the medications and vaccines. Infections now resistant to antibiotics become more virulent and illnesses easily managed by surgery now prove lethal as hospitals close and physicians find themselves helpless without the ability to operate. The infrastructure to distribute drugs collapses as there is no way to procure or prescribe medication. There is not transportation system as there is no gasoline available and the freeways have become parking lots for abandoned cars. It is indeed a dismal picture of dread and doom. Literally everything that has been taken for granted in their lives has now failed them and their survival skills are newborn at best.

The fascinating accounting of these girl’s efforts to adapt is a rich and rewarding adventure. Left to themselves, they must now learn that everything they need is ultimately at their feet, but the path to understanding this is a difficult one. Their isolation in the house far away from town leaves them vulnerable. Their reliance on everything modern leaves them initially helpless and the loss of their parents leaves them emotionally wasted. It ultimately becomes quite obvious that no one will save them and their own survival will be up to them.

Nell begins to research their environment and her studies prove to be their saving grace. Nell learns that generations of Indians before them survived hundreds of years in the very same forest they live in. Nell must now extract from the forest gifts they need to survive. Everything they need is at their feet in the forest. Herein is the unique survival story of Eva and Nell.

My family consists of environmental biologists, wildlife biologists and nursing science. When I began this book, the concept so intrigued me that I gave a nightly summation to everyone while I prepared dinner. Soon, we were all involved in the story line while we projected a similar fate for ourselves and what issues would be important to us and the survival skills we would have to be proficient.

It is abundantly clear that we have become a dependent and wasteful society. Our waste paper basket hold objects that Nell and Eva would have cherished. I found this book not one of fear and fatalism, nor did I find this to be a story without faith and morals, as one reader stated. I found many messages of faith and hope in the book and am frankly shocked that some readers could not understand them.

I took away a powerful message to be more self reliant, conservative and environmentally sensitive. I do believe my garden will be a little larger this year!

Review by Janice M. Hansen

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