Lost in the woods

Let me clear up two things about The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King: it's not a horror novel, and it's not about baseball.

It is the story of a nine year old girl, Trisha McFarland, who gets lost in the woods. On a family hike, Trisha gets sick of listening to the endless arguing of her mom and brother, so she leaves the trail. Her shortcut to get back to the trail doesn't pan out, and pretty soon Trisha has no idea where she is. Armed with a backpack containing Twinkies, a bottle of water, and a portable radio, Trisha eventually decides to follow a stream downhill, reasoning that this will lead her to civilization. A bad decision, and the beginning of a terrifying ordeal.

The forests of western Maine are vast and lonely, and Trisha is a city girl. But she is intelligent and resourceful. She keeps moving. She forages for food. She battles loneliness by listening to Red Sox games on the radio.

No one is better than Stephen King at getting you inside the heads of his characters, and anyone who has ever been lost, even temporarily, can easily relate to Trisha's fright and disorientation. As the days go by and Trisha grows sick from hunger and tainted water - as she begins to hallucinate - the suspense becomes almost agonizing.

If you've never tried Stephen King - or if you have, and just didn't like him - give this quick, riveting novel a try.