Ash's Cabin

[cornerofmadness]

Ash's Cabin by Jen Wang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a weak 3 star at that, more like a 2.5 rounded up. I think if you look at it as what you think the author was trying to say 1. nonbinary teens can feel alone and isolated 2. nature will treat you as badly as humans if you give it a chance 3. we need connections then it almost works.

But if we look at what actually happens it's very hard to empathize with Ash. This level of rebellion needs something to rebel against. All we see if they don't think their fellow students care about the environment as much as they think they should (we don't see bullying because Ash has changed their name and come out as nonbinary) At home their parents do their best to use their new name (but forget in private and they overhear) but otherwise their parents are kind and caring. Hell, when Ash doesn't want to go to Disney but wants to go to their grandfather's ranch now owned by their uncle because it'll be their last time to do so as Uncle is selling the place, Ash's parents say yes because they trust Ash and want them to be happy. After all they're 16 and their older cousin is there.

What we know that Ash's parents don't, Ash wants to find their grandfather's mythical cabin (does it even exist?) the place he loved best and feeling that their grandfather was their biggest supporter Ash wants to be close to him again. And oh, they're giving up on society and planning to stay there without really telling anyone. Oh they do prepare via library books and YouTube/TikTok videos so we'll give Ash that much. They take their dog Chase and run off on their cousin (who had left them anyhow to go elsewhere with friends) They have a GPS, some food (they'll find/kill food in the woods) and literally nothing much to keep warm with nor deal with menstrual cycles with.

By sheer chance (and a few clues from their grandfather's journal) Ash finds this little cabin which isn't much and sets about using their wood working skills from art class to try and make the cabin good enough to live in. They had learned from ethnobotany books (and hard experience) what plants could be eaten. But if not for them stumbling on another camper (a rather unbelievable young woman who decided being pregnant with a dad who ran out on her was the best time to join a 'mobile camp' of people up in Oregon and is walking there and oh, her daddy taught her to hunt/fish).

Of course without her, Ash would have had to give up or starve. She teaches Ash enough tricks to survive. Meanwhile we have lots of panels of Ash hiding from search helicopters and them rolled up in a bedroll crying about hard it is. But we don't see actual boots on the ground search parties until the Shasta forest is on fire (and given how often California sees fires these years, the idea that this cabin hadn't burnt before this is a bit of a stretch). Not knowing this is why there are searchers, Ash sends Chase to the search party with the command 'go home' because the dog is grievously injured (that's your warning. Chase doesn't die though) Home? How is Chase going home? That's hours away. Even the ranch isn't that close by.

It isn't until the fire is evident does Ash give up. Forty Eight days later. 48! Her family was going through the torment of not knowing where their child was for more than a month. Again if this was an uncaring family that would make more sense but they're not. It's evident Ash's mom has PTSD from Ash's disappearance but does Ash mention it? No. In fact, in the entire book they never wonder once about their family, about how they must feel or even think' they'll never miss me' Nothing. It's creepy.

The only consequence for Ash is their family tiptoes around them lest they run off again and some kids in school (college) think Ash is cool and wants them to join their environmental group. This failed for me across the board.



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