Book Review: The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline

Rating: 3.75⭐

“In that moment I was aware of life pulsing all around me, indifferent to me. I was just a tiny part of a vast living, breathing ecosystem. I wasn’t at the center of anything. Maybe, I thought, life can really be this simple. Maybe I can just . . . exist.”

Jess once had a happy marriage, a son she doted on and another child on the way and a fulfilling career. But life took an unfortunate turn and for over the last four years she has been living the van life. Hers is a lonely journey with much hardship and no destination in sight, living in the present with only others whom she meets along the way as her community, each person with their own reasons to choose their way of life. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her son finds her in Arizona.

The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline is a well-written, emotional read that revolves around themes of motherhood, loss, family, community and second chances. I enjoyed this short story and the descriptions of van life. Though there is lot to unpack in this short read, the length of the story does not allow for a deeper exploration of the characters and their relationships, which is my only complaint.

“Stillness can’t really exist, she said, because even when we’re not moving, we’re breathing, and breath is movement. I’m here. I’m breathing.”

This was my Amazon First Reads selection for the month of August 2023.