Wrong Way Summer

 Lang, Heidi.  Wrong Way Summer.  2020.  Abrams Books, New York, New York.

In my experience, riding in cars and camping out with family are when you really discover more about each other and the forces that drive that person and make them who they are. Camping brings out both the best and the worst in people, as you are dealing with situations and conditions that are not easily controlled and can be less than idyllic.  My husband and his family still talk about the RV road trip they took with their grandparents across the Midwest in 1975 like it was yesterday.  These trips definitely make memories that last a life time.

The book Wrong Way Summer is a tale of road trip that goes well, the wrong way.  Claire's Dad believes that every day is an adventure.  At the end of the school year, he tells his kids that they are going to sell the house and travel across the country in a renovated van.  They'll be able to see the world from the comfort of their truck.  Claire is not convinced that everything is on the up and up.  Her Dad is refusing to answer questions about where they are going, and what is the plan.  When she does ask questions, he reverts to telling stories about a magical kingdom, and how their mother was kidnapped by a troll.  While Claire digs to find the truth about what is happening, her father takes them on a rollicking adventure across the country, meeting up with old college friends.  When her little brother decides to take matters into his own hands and disappears to rescue his mother from the troll, things take a dangerous turn towards reality.

The story within the story touches upon the homeless crisis in the United States today, and how many families are adapting to housing instability.  It drives home the meaning of family, friendship, love, and unexpected endings.  

Wrong Way Summer will take you down some unexpected but very intriguing paths before it leaves you at the end of the journey, yearning for more.