On Cold Days and Nights, Will You Think of The Stranger in the Woods?

    We discussed The Stranger in the Woods, by Michael Finkel at our 2021 virtual Holiday Party on Zoom. It was good to be there with everyone, but once again, it was sad to have to be in a virtual venue instead of together in a home sharing delicious dishes and holiday cheer.

Christopher Knight was indeed a stranger to almost everyone who encountered him or his existence. He was a hermit and an interesting character; in this case a real one. We enjoyed reading about him. Pam, who found and nominated the book, said she was looking for something “different.” She hit the jackpot with this one! It’s a very unusual true story.

          As usual, our readers had interesting ideas and interpretations of Knight’s personality and his impact on the community surrounding his woodland hideaway. Joyce thought Knight made his choices to live as a hermit and avoid people because he was on the autism spectrum and found social activity to be overstimulating. Several members thought Knight drove into the wilderness until he ran out of gas and proceeded to set up house in the woods without having a real plan. No one said they thought Knight had planned much of his big adventure in advance.

          Talking about what material items were essential to Knight, most of which he stole from summer homes in the area, Dennis suggested batteries, such as for his radio and his various flashlights. Joanne mentioned food, the radio, and books. She said he valued the radio because it connected him to the world outside his wooded world. Dennis said Knight wanted that connection only as long as he wasn’t among people. Ken suggested this could be considered a “passive connection.” Cindy T. likened the passive connection to being on Zoom. Pam reminded us that Knight wasn’t interacting with people at all but just listening to the radio. Carla mentioned his needs for clothing and bedding to stay warm in winter. Joanne reminded us that what Knight really stole was the peace of mind of the people who had summer homes and a few year-round homes in the area. The population seemed to consider this as the most significant theft when they discussed Knight after he had been caught.

          We went on a brief tangent about nature’s bothersome-to-dangerous aspects, particularly in the northern United States, where the book took place. Mentioned were mosquitos, ticks and Lyme disease, feral hogs (more likely in Texas), no-see-ums, and black flies. Bears were mentioned. Clearly, though, Knight was close to civilization and, as it turned out, was most threatened by people.

Examining Knight’s relationship with the reporter who wrote the book about him, Ken said it was an on-again, off-again relationship. I said I thought there must have been a monetary agreement based on Knight trading his story for some percentage of whatever the journalist might earn from writing about Knight. Joanne said that Knight would have used any money he received to help his family, who had suffered when they thought they had lost him and who were taking care of him after he was released from prison. Ken thought Knight wasn’t motivated by money, except to earn some because he needed it.

Further tangents toward the end of the discussion included off-the-grid living, which we decided often involves a community of people; introverts; new technology; other newsworthy hermits with online information about them; and squatters’ rights laws.

Our discussions are always interesting, always present perceptive insights, and always touch on important subtle as well as blatant aspects of the book and its characters, whether the story is fiction or nonfiction. Thanks to Pam for leading this discussion!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks to everyone in our Zoom group for our monthly discussions, which bring new thoughts and a temporary escape from the world’s problems. Once-monthly comes around quickly enough, especially as we get older. Knowing that you all are reading with me during the month has been comforting during these times of relative isolation! I hope we will be together in person in 2022, at least occasionally and maybe for our Holiday Party at the end of the year. Special thanks to Lydia for sharing your Zoom account, making possible and hosting our virtual meetings, and working with me to get recordings so that I can relax my notetaking a little.

          I used to get a kick out of saying “See you next year,” in December. This year, it seems different; not as silly, not as much of an entitlement, certainly more precious. The pandemic has gone on too long, and I hope it will ease during 2022.

          Hoping to see you in January!