Jon Krakauer’s bestselling nonfiction novel, “Into The Wild,” tells the story of mysterious Chris McCandless both beautifully and factually. It captures the reader’s attention more and more as the story goes on and will leave an imprint on your mind even after you have finished the book.

Krakauer chronicles the journey of McCandless, a well-off, educated boy who leaves behind everything to explore the Alaskan wilderness. Krakauer’s story is written in a very untraditional manner, jumping from past to present, from multiple perspectives, and around in time as he tells the mystery of McCandless. It breaks away from traditional nonfiction styles of writing by truly telling an emotional story. By the end of the novel, you will feel like you personally knew McCandless, and that you were along for every step of his journey.

Kraukaer also includes short excerpts about his personal experiences in chronicling McCandless, as well as other short tales relevant to the storytelling. “Into The Wild” essentially becomes part the story of McCandless, part the story of Kraukaer and part the story of all those affected by the two along the way.

Perhaps the most commendable part of Kraukaer’s writing is that he leaves so much up to the reader’s opinion, as he states in his Author’s Note. By giving multiple perspectives and writing in an unbiased manner, Kraukaer allows the reader the opportunity to provoke thoughts that, in my case, changed my view of life and the true quality of it.

A book that can capture your thoughts for days after is hard to come by, especially for a non fiction book, but “Into the Wild” does just that, and receives a 4 out of 5 stars. So, take a journey ‘into the wild’, and pick up Kraukaer’s novel.