Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction work, Into the Wild, details the adventures of a young graduate of Emory University, Christopher McCandless, who abruptly disappears and spends two years traveling the West on his own. Interestingly, Krakauer begins his book with the ending. In the second sentence of his opening remarks, Krakauer writes, “[McCandless’s] decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters.” He goes on to summarize the entire story in a few lines. By giving away this information at the onset, Krakauer defines the style of his work. He will not be concerned with building drama and suspense nor will his book describe the facts of McCandless’s journey. Instead, by establishing the end at the beginning, he helps the reader look past the tragedy and sadness of McCandless’s death. This allows him to show the reader the character and courage of McCandless as well as the beauty of his life and adventures. Thus the story is no longer the tale of a young man’s death, but rather a tribute to his life. This revelation commands the attention of the reader and turns his thoughts to precisely what Krakauer wants to explore, that is the character and enigma of Christopher McCandless. It is a brilliant albeit unorthodox move which makes the whole book successful.

--Andy Carlson