Wren is enraged. She feels like her family just wants to get rid of her so they don't have to deal with her anymore. When she does the math and realizes she will be stuck in the desert for most of the rest of the school year and her birthday, she is furious. It seems like her parents are trying to get revenge.
As she sits isolated in her tent for the first few days, she can only think about how miserable and abused she is. Wren is stubborn and slow to make any progress. She can't help wondering what her friends are doing back home while she is dirty and dehydrated in the desert. Meadow has been her best and only friend since the 7th grade. They used to cut class and hide in the bathroom to smoke weed. Nico is the cute older boy who provides alcohol and weed in exchange for Wren making deliveries. They would think this whole camp is a joke.
It's not until Wren has a personal wrestle with her own mortality that her heart starts to change. Her willfulness has always been a negative to other people, but out in the desert, that stubbornness can be put to good use. It may be the only thing that can help her survive the wilderness and her own addictions.
This is another great book from Wendelin Van Draanen. The author deftly illustrates how easily a normal kid can get caught up in drug and alcohol abuse and how addiction changes a person. She also hints that cell phone addiction and our culture of convenience and waste feed into those behaviors. Perhaps one of Wren's greatest realizations is when she finally admits to herself that Meadow was never really her friend.
I love that this book is not about shocking the reader with horrifying scenes. It's about Wren's personal journey to accepting responsibility for her actions and to understanding herself. Highly recommended!
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