Off the Beaten Track

Off the Beaten Track is a beautiful adventure story written by Maylis de Kerangal and illustrated by Tom Haugomat. This story is long – each flip of the page brings readers to a page filled with text, accompanied by a full-page illustration beside it. Readers are brought along on a journey as the tale is in first person; the tale begins with “I open my eyes. It is dawn and a freezing cold breeze blows across my face” (p. 1). This abrupt start is followed by a beautiful story that highlights adventure and being in the wilderness as well as touching on hardship that has followed the narrator. The narrator’s companion, Bruce, used to be friends with the speaker’s parents (“his old companions” p. 3). Bruce is taking the storyteller to find “the mountain in oneself’” (p. 4). The two traveling pals rappel down a crevasse, and when the speaker emerges, he notes that “Everything is different now” (p. 9), and he has to save his friend.

What’s interesting to note about the illustrations of this book is that they were done first – Haugomat completed all the graphic drawings before Kerangal even started writing the story. The author took the illustrations and pieced them together in a way that made sense to her and then created the storyline. Haugomat’s visuals are calming, minimalist, and beautiful – an balanced partner for a story so charged with emotion and adventure.

Aaron Kerangal’s Off the Beaten Track is a deep tale that explores the human psyche, loss, and healing. Anyone who has undergone loss, a sense of loss of self, feeling lost, or has craved adventure will be drawn to the simplicity and beauty of this tale of adventure and self-seeking. As this story touches on themes of self-discovery and healing, it would be best enjoyed by older audiences. The marriage of nature, adventure, and self-discovery make this an extremely beautiful tale that’s accented by peaceful and lovely illustrations.