Crabbe



Not about Draco's one mook.

Crabbe is a young adult novel by William Bell. It's the journal of Franklin Crabbe, who right before his final exams decides to run away and not leave a trace. It takes him some time to plan it, but he gets away with it, packing up his things and driving away from his life as a spoiled, "semi-alcoholic" teenager whose every move has been planned out for him. He drives away from his privileged life and into one in the wilderness based on survival - and freedom.

It turns out, though, that Crabbe is (unsurprisingly) unprepared for life on his own in the wilderness. Soon after he sets out, he gets most of his things wet, for example, making things like matches useless. He doesn't know how to steer a canoe, or avoid bears, or any of it. Crabbe is definitely a city kid. When he goes over a waterfall, though, things start to look up. Mary, a beautiful woman who came into the bush much more well-prepared, finds Crabbe. She has her own reasons to hide, and she's not going back, so she's lonely. She invites Crabbe to stay with her, and he gladly accepts the invitation.He learns a lot, and not just about survival in the wilderness (though he learns plenty of that, too).

The story starts at the end, with Crabbe in a hospital with two fingers cut off of one hand and daily appointments with a shrink. How he gets there from his life in the wild with Mary is the story his journal tells.

Tropes in this novel:

 * Attempted Rape: Almost to Mary, thankfully Crabbe thinks of a way to save her.
 * Bring My Brown Pants: Happens to Crabbe when he is attacked by a bear.
 * Distressed Dude: Crabbe, after he plunges off a waterfall, and later with severe frostbite.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Crabbe's reason for drinking.
 * Follow in My Footsteps: Crabbe's parents ideal for him, Crabbe is opposed to it.
 * Mentor Occupational Hazard: Mary.
 * Mercy Kill: Mary did this to her husband, leaving her to retreat into the woods.
 * Sexy Mentor: Mary.