I cannot for the life of me find where I posted anything about this book on Instagram except to say that I hadn’t read it yet! I know I posted something… I remember!
Isn’t that the most frustrating thing?!
In any event… here I post! I Am Still Alive. I first saw this book on another bookstagrammer’s feed and was instantly drawn to the title. I didn’t even wait to find out what it was about. She recommended it… I liked the title… so I bought it on a whim. I don’t do that often. It often backfires.
Luckily, this was a win! When my brain was full of life decisions and I could barely think straight, this quick-to-read survival novel helped me get out of my head and into a story.
A Brief Summary
I Am Still Alive is a YA novel (which I didn’t realize until I was well into it) about a girl who’s lost everything and has to go live with her estranged father literally in the middle of the wilderness in Canada. There are no roads or cars… only a plane that shows up occasionally to get in and out.
Kate Alice Marshall wrote a very realistic story about survival in the harshest conditions. Jess ends up having to survive on her own in this wilderness. On top of that, she’s expecting some murderers to return at any moment.
A lot happens in a short amount of time, and Marshall acknowledges that in the acknowledgements. I always find it helpful to read the acknowledgements. Do you? They always give a little extra insight to the book.
In any case, the events that happen in the book, and there are quite a few, feel very realistic. Of course it’s a novel. So there are some elements thrown in to help Jess, the protagonist, that may not have been super realistic, but otherwise there would have been no story at all.
An Easy, Captivating Read
I flew through this book. It was an easy read but captivating. There also wasn’t the typical sex, drugs, and alcohol to try to make up for an otherwise dreary tale or bad writing. It was clean. Something I’d almost let my 9 and 11 year olds read, except that there were some disturbing scenes with capturing and eating animals that would probably bother them. Even though, again, they were realistic. And some other grim scenes that might be disturbing to a younger reader.
I’d highly recommend this one if you are looking for something easy but gripping. And if you want to be alone. I really enjoyed reading about how alone Jess was. Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but considering I was reading it during lockdown while stuck in a condo with four other humans and a noisy dog… Yeah. Makes sense that I was jealous of Jess out in the wilderness on her own.
At the end of this book was a little excerpt from another book by Kate Alice Marshall. It was a completely different kind of story, but I was intrigued and want to read it.
Let Me Know…
Let me know in the comments here if you’ve read I Am Still Alive, want to read it, or read any others by Marshall. I love hearing from you, and it helps me know someone is reading this!
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Serena
The title intrigues me, too. My ears are always perked toward books I can enjoy with my daughters, so I’m glad to learn that you would almost let your younger kids read it. Maybe a 14 year old would enjoy this? Is it empowering, the survival? Inspiring?
sarah.sandidge@gmail.com
SerenaI think a 14 year old could definitely handle it and would enjoy it! I found it empowering. The main character actually has a disability from a car wreck. So she has to overcome that as well. But it’s also realistic… she doesn’t just go for it. She struggles. Which I appreciated. Anyway… it’s a quick read. So you could always check it out first of course!