My Abandonment

Despite its rather unappealing title, the book offers an original and interesting insight into homelessness and mental illness, inspired (in part) by a true story. Narrated in the voice of 13-year old Caroline, the story follows the unconventional life of a man and his young daughter in a cave in Forest Park just outside Portland, Oregon. A Vietnam veteran still in the grips of PTSD, Caroline's father is constantly on the run from authorities, which is partly due to his paranoia and to a secret in his past, which is gradually uncovered in the course of Caroline's narrative. Growing their own food and having minimal contact with people, the pair lead a peaceful if lonely existence, until one small mistake leads to events which will see them on the run again and trigger a chain of events that will change Caroline's life forever.

Despite some major holes in the story, I enjoyed Caroline's fresh voice and innocent view on a life which is unconventional to say the least. On the run from authorities, with no friends her own age and schooling only provided by her father, Caroline grows up in the company of wild animals and other homeless people in the park, with whom they have sporadic contact. Living by their own moral guidelines taught to her by her father, Caroline often has wisdom beyond her years, and is able to live in harmony with nature as few us would know how to do. What I liked most was Caroline's innocence and her simple explanations of all the things the reader may consider to be "wrong" with her life. However, her blind acceptance of these unconventional views is also the catalyst that ultimately leads her to make drastic decisions that will alter her future forever.

Now to the holes in the story. Without giving too much away, the possibility of the police relinquishing Caroline back into the custody of a mentally ill father, especially after overlooking the fact that this young child has no proof of identity, was doubtful to say the least. The ending, too, was a major disappointment, when there were so many alternative possibilities to conclude the story, tie up loose ends and answer the many questions raised by the events in the last 1/3 of the book. For me there was a sense of disbelief and intense disappointment that these explanations were never offered, especially after teasing the reader with the mystery of Caroline's past throughout the whole story.

All in all, Caroline's fresh young voice gave me some refreshing insights into homelessness and living with a mentally ill parent from the point of view of a young child - which made reading the story worthwhile, despite the disappointment of being left in the dark in the end. 3 1/2 stars from me.

The narrator of this moving, original novel, thirteen year-old Caroline, lives with her father in a cave in an enormous nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. At first, we think it's just because they're poor and have lost their home temporarily -- sadly not an uncommon story these days -- but the more we get to know "Father" through his daughter's eyes, the more we come to realize the problems go much deeper for this family. Father is obviously mentally ill -- with what I'm armchair-diagnosing as worsening paranoid schizophrenia. Though Caroline has no clue as to the extent of her father's differences from others, she does seem aware of the fact he's slightly "off" and in need of her care.

Father has carefully trained Caroline to become masterful at hiding any sign of either of them in the park. They've been in their cave long enough to feel it's home, and have even crafted a hidden garden and a small library of books rescued from dumpsters, including a partial set of encyclopedias Caroline is reading through in alphabetical order -- in lieu of going to school (long a dream of hers).

Their life is difficult, but they're happy as long as they're together. Until one day, when Caroline relaxes just a little too much and is spotted by a jogger in the park who turns out to be a spy of sorts from social services, sent to do some recon on rumors of a family living in the trees.

The next day, the authorities show up and take both Father and Caroline to a secured building of some sort -- not jail, but sort of like jail (Caroline doesn't know what it is, so neither do we). There, they're kept separated while the system tries to determine if it's safe for Caroline to go back to her dad. The process takes a few weeks, and in the meantime, Caroline gets a taste of a more-normal life, attending school and even making some of her first friends ever.

But her life is uprooted again when the courts decide the family can be reunited. The system finds Father a job working on a local farm and sets him and Caroline up in a small, one-room shack on the farm property. Back together at last, and able to continue attending school, Caroline is over the moon about her new situation. But though Father makes a real effort to try to work the job and live in the house -- to be "normal" for his daughter's sake -- his paranoia creeps back in and one night a few weeks later, he packs up their stuff and tells Caroline they have to run for their lives.

What happens from there is at once heartbreaking and hope-inducing. Just how that plays out, I'll leave for you to discover. And discover it you should! This novel is wonderfully written, with Caroline's voice -- a powerful, realistic mix of precociousness and naiveté -- pulling the reader deep into her world. Though I confess I was kind of unhappy with the ending (I suppose more for Caroline's sake than my own), overall I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to reading more by Peter Rock in the coming months (this is his fifth novel, I gather, so there's plenty more where it came from!).

Recommended!

"My Abandonment" is a haunting and mesmerizing novel, one that takes unexpected turns while the story unfolds. I was compelled to read it more-or-less straight through as I was never sure when I was at a good stopping place.

Ostensibly it's about a father & daughter who live "off the grid" in a Portland city park -- as it evolves however, it becomes much more. To delve into specifics would ruin it for those who haven't read it yet though. You'll see.

The book is one chapter too long in my opinion -- a story this dynamic doesn't benefit from a tidy denouement. Still I enjoyed the first seven chapters more than anything since [[ASIN:1594480001 The Kite Runner]] or [[ASIN:B000F5FNOI The Deadwood Beetle]].

by Lilly

Upon opening My Abandonment by Peter Rock, you realize that you're opening up a book that is very, very different.

My Abandonment isn't fancy or academic. It's not particularly graceful or fluent, but rather brutally honest. It's a no-holds-barred kind of story, one that describes life and love as it really is: painful, quick, and often very lonely. It's the kind of tale you'd expect to find in a young adult novel, but it's written with the insight and experience of someone who's lived through many a tragedy.

Inspired by a true story, the book follows thirteen year-old Caroline, who lives with her father in Forest Park, a nature preserve bordering Portland, Oregon. They grow their own food, use the left-over materials that society leaves behind, and they even keep a library of sorts. They fare pretty well, considering that they're homeless. Their life is peaceful, organized, and- most importantly- secret. However, one small mistake allows a jogger to discover their way of life. Through this discovery, Caroline and her father are sent through a life-changing journey that leaves them shaken and changed. But Caroline's shocking memories reveal a different story, one that questions her seemingly innocent life in the forest.

As someone who has lived in Oregon her whole life, I can understand the perspective that Mr. Rock takes on homelessness. However, the plotline of this book is a bit outlandish and unrealistic. I don't see any of the numerous homeless people I encounter on a regular basis taking to the local nature preserve and camping out. On top of that, Caroline's character seems to switch between being child-like and innocent, and then independent and self-determined, which can get confusing at times.

In the end, it's a nice story, as long as you don't try to read into it. Although it's certainly insightful and intuitive, it's a work of fiction- and nothing more.

Peter Rock has produced an amazing novel in My Abandonment. Through a rare voice and a subtle evocation, the reader comes to understand the deeper layers below our quirky and engaging narrator. Rock shows a world right before our eyes that only he can truly see, and in it, we slowly start to realize that everything is at stake for these characters. I found the book gripping and difficult to pause, even when I wanted relief from the narrative's building tension. A must read.