by Kaylie Seed
When most people think of fire they think of danger, damage, loss, and even death. We see the way fire threatens communities all over the world, yet we don’t see fire in the way nature sees it—that fire is meant to cleanse and rejuvenate, to start over. In Canadian author Trina Moyles’ memoir Lookout: Love, Solitude, and Searching for Wildfire in the Boreal Forest (Lookout) she not only tells the story of how she ended up in an obscure job watching for fires in the Canadian north, but she also manages to compare her life journey to fire and teach the reader a thing or two about nature’s true intentions.
While many fires are caused by humans, whether that be unintentional or not, most fires that burn are caused by nature herself. Moyles talks about how fire needs to happen so that new life can emerge; something a lot of us are likely unaware of. Thankfully, Moyles includes many educational elements throughout Lookout that parallel her own life, so that the reader can learn about this natural phenomenon in depth while also reading about the amazing things that Moyles has accomplished. Her life, documented throughout her memoir, is fascinating and filled with so much action that the reader won't want to put Lookout down.
Moyles’ prose captures the reader's attention from the beginning and continues the momentum until the very end. Even as Lookout was finishing, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to know more about Moyles’ life in solitude, and I wanted to keep reading her beautifully eloquent writing. Moyles is a natural storyteller and it’s clear that her passion for writing goes hand in hand with her passion at the fire tower and her loving dog Holly. I resonated with Moyles and how she went through difficult times, emerging a rejuvenated person on the other side. Without coming out and saying it, it’s evident that Moyles is comparing her life to that of the life cycle of fire, showing how the adversity she faced became resilience. Moyles is extremely relatable, making Lookout a book where many other readers will say “hey, I see myself in her!” Her parts of comic relief are also hilarious.
I can easily say that this will be one of my all-time favourite reads. I admire Moyles and aspire to be like her: a woman who craves solitude, a woman who faces adversity head on, a woman whose soul fevers with passion the same way a wildfire rages on in the forest.
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!