An avid fan of the Great Outdoors, in addition to spooky thrillers and classic horror, I was immediately intrigued by Lucy Clarke's The Hike.
Liz Wallace and her three best friends (Maggie, Helena, and Joni) set out on their annual vacation tradition of traveling to a far-off location together. This year it's Liz's turn to pick the exotic location, but instead of a sunny beach, she picks the Blafjell Mountains and trails of Norway. The friends each arrive with their own baggage: marital problems, shared custody of children, burn-out from thankless jobs, drug problems, and worse.
While reluctant to embark on four days in the remote wilderness, they eventually find their footing, overcoming obstacles and coming to terms with blisters and sweat. But they're not alone in the wilderness, and the further they hike from the safety of the lodge, the more aware they become of whispered rumors, unseen dangers, and mysterious figures in the dark. When a terrible storm blows through, they take refuge in a nearby cave, inadvertently making a startling discovery off their washed-away campsite, their only option is to keep going. Their unease as they travel farther off the trail and further from civilization puts them at each other's throats, but they'll need to stick together if they're going to make it out alive.
If you enjoy survivalist thrillers that are not domestic in nature, you will undoubtedly enjoy The Hike. While it was not my favorite book of the year, the ascent into the mountains coupled with the descent of the characters' friendship and sisterhood created excellent tension until the terrifying end. It's an excellent reminder that you never really know anyone, no matter how long you've known them, and that both the unexpected and the tragic can easily happen to anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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