They pass along their wisdom and experience to Bria, just like someone did with them when they started out. (Letting your bag out of your sight? A “not to do.”) Rowan is about two years older than Bria, Starling a couple years older than that, and the two are experienced backpackers. Starling and Rowan become Bria’s travel mentors: what to do or not to do when traveling. But it doesn’t over-emphasize such risks to the extent that the inadvertent message becomes, “stay home and be safe.” The message, if any, is “travel and be safe.” Wanderlove isn’t glib or naive about the dangers of traveling Bria’s camera gets stolen, for example. Sorry if I just spoiled this for you, but Bria’s journey does not end up dark.
The plot device of a teen girl being punished for seeking freedom (here, backpacking in Guatemala and Belize) by being assaulted, raped, or imprisoned is one that is all too often seen in books or film. As time goes on, she starts to see them as people real people, with flaws.īria is not punished for her choices and oh, I loved that so. Oh, yes, Bria looks at these backpackers as free and cool and wonderful, and, well, idealizes them. One of the best things about it, is it does so in an inclusive way. It is also a love letter to the spirit of traveling, to having all your belongings in one backpack and going where the day takes you, to a certain way of traveling. Wanderlove is a love letter to those places. Thanks to Wanderlove, I feel like I’ve been there and I also want to go, to see for myself the places Bria sees, to try the food she tries.
I have never been to the places Bria, Starling, and Rowan go to: Guatemala and Belize. The Good: I defy you to read this book and not want to immediately head out for the airport and go somewhere, anywhere, just go. When Bria meets Starling and Rowan, two backpackers who invite her along on their journey, Bria decides to leave the safe, organized, structured tour and take a chance: a chance on traveling, a chance on life, a chance on friendship with two strangers, but, most important, a chance on herself.
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