Wilderness Mother

Deanna Kawatski writes a memoir of the 13 years she spent living with her husband in the outback of British Columbia. She writes about giving birth on the floor of their cabin, the struggles to have enough water for the garden, the never-ending work of cutting wood for winter fires and to build onto their cabin. While I loved the descriptions of their daily life, she was often frustrated, angry and confused by the way her "hermit" husband acted towards her. It was no surprise that they end up divorced, but at least she took her children when she left.

While moving to the middle of nowhere and living off the land with your new husband can sound incredibly romantic, I found Deanna Kawatski's life to be nothing short of pure drudgery...five minutes in the ice cold creek doing the family laundry would have clinched the deal for me. While I'm sure their surroundings were beautiful and the feeling of accomplishment was exhilarating at times I imagine that the desolation could be soul crushing. I don't believe Deanna was ever truly appreciated by her husband who, IMHO, didn't deserve her. The nerve of him to say that he had been married to her for ten years and hadn't learned anything from her. I only hope that she's happy today and has a matching Whirlpool washer and dryer.

I found this to be the best of this genre. I was moved reading about her strength and committment to remote living. Raising 2 kids away from society, grocery stores, and electicity etc is quite a challange. I have read about 15 books from people who have similarly lived in remote areas of Alaska or BC, and have to say this is tied for my favorite. Definately this is full of the human side of her life as much as the logistical side. Highly recomend