THE REVIEWS
LEAVE NO TRACE
(Pocket 2002)
Publishers
Weekly
Rarely does a writer make the transition from nonfiction to
fiction as seamlessly as Nyala, whose bestselling 1997 memoir, Point Last Seen,
recounted the search-and-rescue agent's experience in the Kalahari Desert with
her two young children. Nyala's first foray into the fiction arena chronicles a
similar quest for survival that's so believable, it's easy to forget this is
fiction. Set in Australia's Tanami Desert, the
book eloquently balances suspenseful and graphic scenes with moments of
introspection and light humor. A trio of complex protagonists--Tally Nowata (the
female tracker who narrates the story), Paul O'Malley (her lover) and Josephine
O'Malley (Paul's spoiled 10-year-old daughter from a previous marriage)--engage
the reader from the outset. The story opens with Paul taking a routine trip from
his desert research camp to pick up Jo, who just arrived from the States. When
Paul and his daughter fail to return after several days, Tally begins making her
way across the desert, eventually encountering Paul, who's been murdered, and a
near-death Jo. The rest of the novel chronicles Tally and Jo's courageous
journey as they struggle to survive and elude Paul's killers, who are hot on
their trail. Nyala's intimate knowledge of survival tactics and her informal yet
stylish prose makes this one of the year's most noteworthy suspense novels.
(Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.)
POINT LAST SEEN: A WOMAN TRACKER’S STORY
(Beacon 1997; Penguin 1998; Pocket 2002).
“A story of hope, survival, and the human spirit.”
--Los Angeles Times
“She reached out, in the most terrible times of her life, to help find other people’s lost children . . . even while her own children were still lost to her. . . . In this poetic, beautifully written memoir [Nyala] tells her tale of domestic abuse, stalking, and kidnapping without an ounce of self-pity.”
--Chicago Tribune
“A moving narrative of the lost and the found, of suffering, courage, and redemption.”
--People
“That rarest of birds: A memoir truly worth the telling and an adventure worthy of the name. Unflinching in her observation, Hannah Nyala follows the track of the truth—her own and ours.”
--Jacquelyn Mitchard, bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean
“In this beautifully rendered narrative, a woman reveals the art of tracking both in wilderness and in autobiography. . . .{It is} the gripping chronicle of a tracker finding herself as she looks for others.”
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Extraordinary. . . . This book belongs in nature collections because of its captivating descriptions of trackers and tracking, but it also belongs in social science and women’s collections because of Nyala’s triumphs over such profound abuse. Highly recommended.”
--Library Journal (starred review)
“Harrowing and bleak, ultimately redemptive, this story of family growth and poignant courage speaks to caring mothers, fathers, and all of us who wish to protect our children.”
--Louise Erdrich, bestselling author of Love Medicine and Tracks
“Tough-minded, profoundly moving . . . gripping. . . . But what makes Point Last Seen so riveting is Nyala’s story behind the job she does so well.”
--San Francisco Chronicle
“More than a memoir, more than one woman’s story of survival, Point Last Seen is both a harrowing thriller and a riveting look into the fascinating world of tracking. Nyala proves herself to be one of our most compelling outdoor writers, though, like Norman Maclean, she soars above the genre and gives us poetry. This book is magic!”
--Jeffery Deaver, bestselling author of The Bone Collector and
A Maiden’s Grave