Gone Feral

Gone Feral chronicles author Novella Carpenter's search for her long-lost father through the wilderness of Idaho. As she tracks down the mysterious man who abandoned her family decades ago, Carpenter reflects on her unconventional childhood with hippie parents in rural Idaho and Washington. The narrative alternates between Carpenter's present-day quest and memories of growing up with her eccentric father, a back-to-the-land survivalist who taught her wilderness skills before disappearing from her life. Her investigation takes her through remote towns and rugged landscapes as she pieces together his whereabouts and struggles to understand his choices. Through her parallel experiences of raising animals on her urban farm in Oakland, Carpenter explores questions of wildness, domestication, and the complex bonds between parents and children. The memoir examines what it means to seek connection with nature and family while grappling with independence, belonging, and the inheritance of both trauma and resilience.

Readers describe Gone Feral as a raw memoir about a daughter searching for her off-the-grid father. Many found the honesty about family dysfunction and estrangement compelling, particularly Carpenter's complex relationship with her parents. Readers appreciated: - The vivid descriptions of homesteading and rural life - The balance of humor with serious themes - The author's self-awareness and vulnerability Common criticisms: - Slow pacing in the middle sections - Some found the father's story remained too mysterious - Expected more focus on farming/homesteading based on the title Review Scores: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (80+ reviews) Sample reader comment: "She manages to tell a heartbreaking story without being maudlin or seeking pity" - Goodreads reviewer Critical comment: "The narrative meanders and loses focus when describing her father's past" - Amazon reviewer

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🌿 Author Novella Carpenter also wrote the bestselling memoir "Farm City," chronicling her experiences creating an urban farm in Oakland, California. 🐐 The book's central narrative follows Carpenter's search for her off-the-grid father while simultaneously learning to raise goats, drawing parallels between wildness and domestication. 🏡 Before writing "Gone Feral," Carpenter founded Ghost Town Farm in Oakland, where she raised vegetables, bees, rabbits, goats, and even pigs on a small urban lot. 🌎 The setting spans from rural Idaho to Northern California, exploring the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s and its modern resurgence. 📚 Carpenter teaches writing at the University of San Francisco's MFA program and has written for numerous publications including Mother Jones and Salon.com.