THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Could you leave behind all that you know & live in solitude for three decades? This is the extraordinary story of the last true hermit
- Christopher Knight ' This was a breath-taking book to read & many weeks later I am still thinking about the implications for our society &
- by extension
- for my own life' Sebastian Junger bestselling author of The Perfect Storm 'A wry meditation on one man's attempt to escape life's distractions & look inwards to find meaning not by doing but by being' Martin Sixsmith bestselling author of Philomena & Ayesha's Gift ' Not all heroes wear capes My latest one is a man called Christopher Knight
- a silent idol for anyone who has felt the urge to just sack it all off & live the life of a hermit' Lucy Mangan Stylist ' An extraordinary story about solitude community identity & freedom' Guardian In 1986 twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts drove to Maine & disappeared into the woods He would not speak to another human being until three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food Christopher survived by his wits & courage developing ingenious ways to store food & water in order to avoid freezing to death in his tent during the harsh Maine winters He broke into nearby cottages for food clothes reading material & other provisions taking only what he needed In the process he unwittingly terrified a community unable to solve the mysterious burglaries Myths abounded amongst the locals eager to find this legendary hermit Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life & the challenges he faced returning to the world The Stranger in the Woods is a riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude & what makes for a good life Above all this is a deeply moving portrait of a man determined to live life his own way