There's the Promise of Many Problems

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There is something eerie about Josie and Neena, supposedly best friends, getting ready to hike into the thick forest alone while joking about bears eating their bodies. So the children’s picture book references (hungry caterpillar, Berenstain Bears) seem sort of odd. However, the girls are K-Mart employees, so who knows – maybe they have to stock the shelves in the book department. Whatever it is that is inspiring their conversation and forest adventure, Neena seems to be the only one feeling trepidation, although readers might have concerns that the girls are planning a three-day trip without any proper training. To make matters worse, it is an unpopular trail area known for its lack of cell phone service. Okay… we know something is going to go wrong.

Yet there seems to be a promise of good times ahead since,In one week, Nenna will be headed to California for college. The girls’ separation is a big deal. Josie is staying behind with her widowed mother to attend college in North Carolina.
What does not make a lot sense at this point is the information on page 4 that Josie and Neena hated everybody. Everybody? At age 18 and the time of high school graduation? It seems unusual for two teen girls to feel this way.

But wait! Here come more literary references. Josie finds the forest scary like the Wizard of Oz was to her as a child. Their map seems like something from Tolkein. But wait. Between 3 pages of description on going to the bathroom in the forest, running into a young couple who warn them about the weird things that happen at night out here, and Neena’s discovery of a hidden third trail, there is quite a bit going on. I’m not sure if this is going to turn into an Oz-Tolkein fantasy tale or a real-life problem. One thing is certain: there will be problems.