Call number
FIC ROC
Collection
Genres
Publication
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, c2009, 2008.
Description
Fiction. Literature. HTML:NOW A MAJOR FILM, LEAVE NO TRACE. Inspired by a true story, a riveting and unsettling novel about a girl and her father who live off the grid, in the shadows at the edge of civilization. Thirteen-year-old Caroline and her father live in Forest Park, an enormous nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. They inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, wash in a nearby creek, store perishables at the water's edge, use a makeshift septic system, tend a garden, even keep a library of sorts. Once a week they go to the city to buy groceries and otherwise merge with the civilized world. But one small mistake allows a backcountry jogger to discover them, which derails their entire existence, ultimately provoking a deeper flight. Told through the startlingly sincere voice of its young narrator, My Abandonment is a riveting journey into life at the margins and a mesmerizing tale of survival and hope.… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member frisbeesage
My Abandonment is a stark tale of what happens to people who live outside what is considered the norm. Caroline and her father live hidden away in a 5,400 acre park outside Portland, Oregon. They live by their own code, never stealing, respecting the world around them, and with Caroline being
This is a frightening yet fascinating look at the lives of people living on the edge. Caroline is forced to grow up fast and to be stronger and more resourceful then any person should ever have to be. My heart ached for her while I admired her at the same time.
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homeshcooled by her father. They are safe until a small slip allows the authorities to find them and force them to live in a way more acceptable to society. This is a frightening yet fascinating look at the lives of people living on the edge. Caroline is forced to grow up fast and to be stronger and more resourceful then any person should ever have to be. My heart ached for her while I admired her at the same time.
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LibraryThing member mckait
"Valor consists in the power of self discovery"
There are many such quotations in the book. A book filled with both bits of wisdom and mounting horror. Caroline is a thirteen year old girl. She and her father are homeless, and living in a public forest. It doesn't take long to realize that her
Caroline is "home schooled" meaning that her father, who is not unintelligent, sees to her education. They visit the public library in the town nearest to them. Caroline has encyclopedias which she reads, and she is taught math and an odd sort of philosophy among other things, by her dad.
Although Caroline has been warned to stay out of sight at all times, they do live on public land, and inevitably, one day she is spotted. What follows is enough to give you hope that she will somehow be given an opportunity to live a more typical life.
The characters in this book are compelling, especially Caroline. I was impressed to find a teenage girl so well portrayed by a male writer. There was something very unique about the writing style of this book, the cadence of the text. I found this book to be difficult to put down. It is so easy to become deeply involved in the story, you just want to go on and on. I will recommend this to friends, it is a very good read.
There are many such quotations in the book. A book filled with both bits of wisdom and mounting horror. Caroline is a thirteen year old girl. She and her father are homeless, and living in a public forest. It doesn't take long to realize that her
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father is both mentally ill and very protective and loving in his own peculiar way.Caroline is "home schooled" meaning that her father, who is not unintelligent, sees to her education. They visit the public library in the town nearest to them. Caroline has encyclopedias which she reads, and she is taught math and an odd sort of philosophy among other things, by her dad.
Although Caroline has been warned to stay out of sight at all times, they do live on public land, and inevitably, one day she is spotted. What follows is enough to give you hope that she will somehow be given an opportunity to live a more typical life.
The characters in this book are compelling, especially Caroline. I was impressed to find a teenage girl so well portrayed by a male writer. There was something very unique about the writing style of this book, the cadence of the text. I found this book to be difficult to put down. It is so easy to become deeply involved in the story, you just want to go on and on. I will recommend this to friends, it is a very good read.
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LibraryThing member fig2
Based on a true story of a father and his teenage daughter who actually lived in Forest Park in Portland, Oregon for six or so years. No one knew they were there and the city residents really were affected by their story when it finally came to light. Peter Rock is a writing professor at Reed
There are a couple of surprises toward the end that I did not see coming at all and I actually *gasped* out loud! Rock managed to find a way to twist his little book in a totally different direction than I had anticipated. Well done, Mr. Rock!
This little beautifully written gem is excellent and absolutely perfect!
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College in Portland, and he has obviously done his research, as well as understanding the outcry of the city residents on behalf of the family. His prose is spare and slight, yet heavy with meaning; a seemingly impossible task that he pulls off with complete grace.There are a couple of surprises toward the end that I did not see coming at all and I actually *gasped* out loud! Rock managed to find a way to twist his little book in a totally different direction than I had anticipated. Well done, Mr. Rock!
This little beautifully written gem is excellent and absolutely perfect!
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LibraryThing member Eliz12
I absolutely fell in love with this book - I checked it out from the library but was ready to go buy my own copy - until about 3/4 of the way through when, like another reviewer below, I became disenchanted with the incident at the yurt, and everything after that.
I loved the characters, who seemed
My frustration was chiefly the near-ending and ending, which seem to wrap things up a bit too tidily - but not concretely. The language here is beautiful, and I understand the basics, but I was left with so many questions I felt unsatisfied.
I loved the characters, who seemed
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odd but still quite believable. I especially loved Caroline. At times I found her conversation a bit unrealistic (my daughter is 12 and speaks nothing like this 13-year-old), but I was willing to let it go, considering the girl's curious upbringing.My frustration was chiefly the near-ending and ending, which seem to wrap things up a bit too tidily - but not concretely. The language here is beautiful, and I understand the basics, but I was left with so many questions I felt unsatisfied.
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LibraryThing member bobbieharv
A very strange book. I really liked the beginning, about a supposed father and daughter living in an urban wilderness; going into town to collect his checks and buy food; and how they managed to hide from everyone. Why they had to hide isn't clear till the end, when it gets a bit creepy. I wish
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there had been more detail about what it was like in the beginning, before she got Stockholm syndrome (I guess that's what we're supposed to think - it was a bit unclear). Show Less
LibraryThing member bjellis
Beautiful writing. Insightful, deeply explored characters. This is about a homeless man and his daughter, from the daughter's point of view. They are living, by choice, in a forested area rather than in a shelter (and 'the system'). This book is complex, full of surprises that sneak up on you,
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revealing themselves as you feel yourself stop breathing. I absolutely love this book. It is unbearably sad and hopeful at the same time, and one of the most unpredictable and well-written books I've read. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
This is a story about survival.
Thirteen-year-old Caroline and her father live in the forest. For Father, this is a question of survival -- he must escape the system; the "followers" who are watching him. Caroline loves her father, who teaches her to survive in the wilderness; to become
Throughout the book, Caroline must learn to survive different situations. The plot is excellent, with deeper layers of the relationship between Caroline and her father being revealed in unexpected ways. Great writing, wonderful characters. I really liked it!
Thirteen-year-old Caroline and her father live in the forest. For Father, this is a question of survival -- he must escape the system; the "followers" who are watching him. Caroline loves her father, who teaches her to survive in the wilderness; to become
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invisible.Throughout the book, Caroline must learn to survive different situations. The plot is excellent, with deeper layers of the relationship between Caroline and her father being revealed in unexpected ways. Great writing, wonderful characters. I really liked it!
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LibraryThing member u4ik
Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.
I have read all 14 reviews posted so far and I am surprised I cannot find one reference to the woman with the bald boy in the yurt outside of Bend, OR. I really enjoyed the book and found it mesmerizing and plausible up until that scene in the yurt. I
Furthermore, after reading the part where Caroline remembers how she came to be with her father, I do not think that the character called Father was her real dad, which put a really, really creepy spin on the whole story for me...it made it even harder to swallow than stories about abuse and other forms of violence.
I have read all 14 reviews posted so far and I am surprised I cannot find one reference to the woman with the bald boy in the yurt outside of Bend, OR. I really enjoyed the book and found it mesmerizing and plausible up until that scene in the yurt. I
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just could not find it believable that they would run into their doppelgangers (since it seemed that boy was a kidnappee also) in the middle of a National Forest in a yurt with live electricity running illegally through it. Furthermore, after reading the part where Caroline remembers how she came to be with her father, I do not think that the character called Father was her real dad, which put a really, really creepy spin on the whole story for me...it made it even harder to swallow than stories about abuse and other forms of violence.
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LibraryThing member ranaemathias
This book was intriguing, disturbing and interesting all at the same time. The story , based on a true situation, is about a father and daughter who live in Forest Park, a nature preserve near Portland, Oregon. They have everything they need: a shelter, bed, food, books, clothes, shower [a
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water-bag suspended from a branch]. They go to town when they need supplies, funded by a bank account the father has established, from a veteran's disability check each month. All is fine until they are found by a runner who alerts the authorities. They do a sweep through the woods and bring them in. They are questioned and interviewed (about their existence in the camp), given new clothes, and a place to live and work on a farm. Here is where the story becomes disturbing. The father seems paranoid and obsessed with life in a homeless state. He takes a few things along with them and they flee the farm. They board a bus and go on the run. He has rules about them being seen together and what his daughter, Caroline, should say to others who speak to her. The author never clearly explains why the father and daughter became homeless in the first place; and he alludes to the fact that they might NOT be father and daughter at all. When they meet up with another homeless parent and child in the woods during a snow storm, they all share a shelter for the night. Tragedy strikes and the story gets darker with the daughter's reaction to the situation. SPOILER ALERT: When Caroline must find a way to dispose of her father's body, she continues to use the resources her father taught her. She finds the local library and eventually rejoins society. She becomes a young adult who works, educates herself and learns to be self-sufficient with the help of a kind librarian (nice to know we are portrayed in a positive light!). This book is at times, dark and depressing; but also a beacon of hope for those who want to improve themselves. Circumstances don't have to make the person. High school appropriate. Show Less
LibraryThing member TigerLMS
13 year old Caroline isn't experiencing a typical childhood. She lives in the woods of a large park near Portland, Oregon. It's the only existence she's known, and she's well schooled in the art of avoiding notice, keeping their semi-permanent home of tree branches and tarps well hidden, and being
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able to pack up and move at a moment's notice. Yet one afternoon Caroline makes a small mistake and their home is discovered, which leads to the father and daughter being brought in for questions and a battery of wellness tests for Caroline. This is a dark take on a childhood, and the ending is not what most would hope to see. Show Less
LibraryThing member megrockstar
I had heard of this book on NPR. It is mysterious because I never read or saw anything about it elsewhere yet the few people I mentioned it to( avid readers and some less than..), they had also heard of it in different places. I was very interested in the mysterious aspect of living "off the grid"
The story is told through the voice of the daughter and The author; Peter Rock has a great sense of a young girl and can get really portray her spirit well and she is a very likable character. The father is a bit of a mystery. There were a few unanswered questions at the end but I guess they were a thread among the whole story.
It was very fast read and my second kindle purchase. I do recommend this title. I am not a mystery(genre)reader but the small thread of wonderment was enough to hold onto. Very much a "what is going to happen next" type of book.
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and this father and daughter definitely do that. The story is told through the voice of the daughter and The author; Peter Rock has a great sense of a young girl and can get really portray her spirit well and she is a very likable character. The father is a bit of a mystery. There were a few unanswered questions at the end but I guess they were a thread among the whole story.
It was very fast read and my second kindle purchase. I do recommend this title. I am not a mystery(genre)reader but the small thread of wonderment was enough to hold onto. Very much a "what is going to happen next" type of book.
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LibraryThing member LynnSigman
Combined listening and reading, although didn't love reader. Interesting story of thirteen year old girl living outside society with her father in Forest Park, Oregon. When they are "caught", she has trouble reentering society. Ending kind of left open to interpretation. Good for YA readers.
LibraryThing member Esta1923
My Abandonment by Peter Rock is based on fact. He has extrapolated from actual news items about a father and daughter who for several years lived outside of society, quite near a metropolitan area. In an interview (available on You Tube) he tells us that his preparation for the novel involved
Rock’s portraits are believable, including the dialogue. Given an intelligent (although traumatized ) man, and an impressionable pre-teen daughter their years together might have been spent as he reports. The latter chapters are heartbreaking. That Caroline can make her way after her father’s death is something readers will hope for.
~~~I received this book as a gift from an LTf riend, and I thank her here.
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spending time in the park area where they’d been discovered, and actually going to places where he imagined they might have gone when they fled.Rock’s portraits are believable, including the dialogue. Given an intelligent (although traumatized ) man, and an impressionable pre-teen daughter their years together might have been spent as he reports. The latter chapters are heartbreaking. That Caroline can make her way after her father’s death is something readers will hope for.
~~~I received this book as a gift from an LTf riend, and I thank her here.
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LibraryThing member slatta
Thought-provoking, beautifully told, often disturbing. Although the narrator is 13 years old, it's not a YA novel. It could very well be a crossover novel for some teens, however. Inspired by a true story. One of the best books of 2009, IMO.
LibraryThing member knitwit2
This book provides an interesting look att hose who choose to be homeless. When given a choice between a job (working out of doors) and a house to live in, the father's paranoia is too great and he retreats with his daughter to the wilderness. The effect of being homeless on a young girl and
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ultimately her sense of never belonging is sad and strange. Show Less
LibraryThing member Foxpaw6227
Girl and father living in park escaping the "others" until girl awakens
LibraryThing member sfisk
A very fast paced read. Almost immediately you are hooked by the narrators unique view of the world around her. As her story unfolds you understand why she has had to develop that perspective, living outside society by choice.
She lives almost exclusively in her head, and there is no display of
All in all it was a fascinating look into a life we can't even imagine, but is not so far removed to be implausible. I enjoyed it thoroughly !
She lives almost exclusively in her head, and there is no display of
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emotion regardless of what hardships they must endure. Yet there is a depth and almost a warmth in the precise, analytical way she recounts events. Never judging, and always recalling a memory or "lesson" that explains the situations they find themselves confronted with.All in all it was a fascinating look into a life we can't even imagine, but is not so far removed to be implausible. I enjoyed it thoroughly !
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LibraryThing member alexann
Haunting story of a young girl making her way in the world--her own way, not somebody else's. Caroline lives with her father in the forest. They are not quite homeless--they build comfortable shelters, and learn the ways of the forest. Caroline learns to walk silently through the woods, to climb
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trees where she spends time observing the natural world around her. Her father is wise in many ways--but perhaps not as stable as he would like Caroline to believe. Their life is idyllic--until someone from the city catches sight of Caroline, and realizes that she and her father are living in the forest and she is not going to school. Beautifully written and a stunningly unusual story! Show Less
LibraryThing member justpeachy
In 2004, a man and his 12-year-old daughter were discovered living in Portland's Forest Park, where they had been staying for the past four years. Authorities discovered that they were happy and healthy and so they offered them a home and employment at a Washington County horse farm. But after a
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short amount of time, the father and daughter left the farm and haven't been seen again. Intrigued by the story and how little was known about them, Peter Rock decided to write a fictional story about the pair. The first half of the book embellishes on the known facts of the story, and the second half of the book speculates on where they went after they disappeared. The story is told from the perspective of 13-year-old Caroline, who dutifully follows her father's lead, rarely questioning his actions or motivations. He loves and cares for his daughter, even though other people see his purposefully homeless lifestyle as being detrimental to his daughter's well-being. This is a simple but well-told story that will leave you thinking about the characters long after you've finished the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member pidgeon92
What an odd - but ultimately interesting - story.
LibraryThing member mjspear
At one level, a tale of 'back woods' survival; on another, a psychological study of a daughter and father relationship and shifting needs and loyalties; on yet another level, a look at what it is to live beyond social norms. All of this, plus wonderful writing (shades of Cormac McCarthy) makes this
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one of the most memorable books this reader has encountered in a long time. Caroline and her father live simply in a large city park -- homeless but resourceful, their days have a kind of quiet rhythm and they lack for little. When they are discovered, they are imprisoned (briefly), forced to live on a farm (from which they ultimately escape) and begin a real life on the lam. There are dangers and disasters, many twists and turns, yet the end is surprisingly upbeat. Many questions remain: who is Caroline, really? Who is her "father"? Is their relationship simply that of a father and daughter? Is Caroline really happy or is she a victim of the Stockholm Syndrome? What price must be paid to fit into society? Show Less
LibraryThing member coolmama
Caroline is 15 years old and lives in an underground cave/hut covered with leaves, inside a public park in Portland Oregon with Father, who suffers nightmares of helicopters from some unnamed War. They live in the wild, forage, keep to themselves away from any part of society. Caroline is
Father - with a set of encyclopedias (up to the letter L) and a dictionary. She is very bright, aware of both herself and keenly aware of her surroundings, and has a deep attachment to Father.
Told from a 15 year olds perspective who remembers very little before life in the woods four years prior, this beautifully told and somewhat creepy (based on a true) story was a really good read!
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homeschooled by Father - with a set of encyclopedias (up to the letter L) and a dictionary. She is very bright, aware of both herself and keenly aware of her surroundings, and has a deep attachment to Father.
Told from a 15 year olds perspective who remembers very little before life in the woods four years prior, this beautifully told and somewhat creepy (based on a true) story was a really good read!
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LibraryThing member sharlene_w
Inspired by a true-life incident where a father and daughter were found living off-the-grid and then basically forced to integrate into society and then mysteriously disappeared again. I found the story interesting and believable up until the yurt / cave incidents. It slid downhill from there with
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a storyline that seemed unlikely, disconnected and unbelievable. I did enjoy the father-daughter characters, however. I would like to know who they really were, why they chose that lifestyle and what really happened to them. I doubt if this contrived story is anything near as interesting as the true story. (Listened to audiobook) Show Less
LibraryThing member addunn3
A young girl tells of her life in Forest Park in Portland, OR living with her dad.
LibraryThing member gaillamontagne
I was drawn to this book because it is based on a true story from my hometown, Portland, OR. It is the dramatization of the sensational story about a hiker who discovered a 10 year old girl, Caroline, living/hiding in Forest Park, a large natural wooded area within the Portland city limits.Their
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support came from monthly disability checks and hidden gardening done in the park. Helping them survive, every month they made their "trips into town" which meant walking over the St. Johns bridge to the PO box, the bank and Safeway. The hiker who accidentally found Caroline, brought back police who arrested her father, a Vietnam vet with PDST. With questioning, the police were able to find out that the father and daughter lived together in the cave for 4 years but it was determined by authorities that the two should be placed on a horse ranch where her father could work and Caroline could attend school . Caroline had not been abused in any way as shown by a thorough medical exam and oddly, when tested, Caroline scored above grade level although very naive about life. Show Less
Awards
Alex Award (2010)
Utah Book Award (Fiction — 2009)
Pages
225
ISBN
9780156035521