The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

In 1986, 20 year old Christopher Knight, desiring to escape modern life, disappeared into the harsh Maine woods near his home. He did not stay anonymous for long. In order to stay alive, he stole what he needed to survive from the cabins scattered around the small idyllic summer vacation lake where he had made his camp in the woods not 50 yards away. Becoming a local legend to residents because of his stealth and daring, and an embarrassment to the police, who could not seem to apprehend him, the young man lived through many seasons as The Hermit of North Pond. When he was finally caught, 27 years later, he was charged with thousands of felonies, and put under psychiatric evaluation. The brilliant telling of this story by Michael Finkel reads like fiction, but as the author interviewed the reluctant Knight, and tried to understand his life and motives, a fascinating story emerged. Giving new meaning to the term “getting away from it all”, one cannot help but put themselves in Knight’s boots, wondering how they would, or even could, ever survive having voluntarily put themselves into such a position. I read it in one sitting. I see matt Damon in the role of Knight in the sure to be made film.”