Strayed in Profile

The Portland Tribune profiles local author Cheryl Strayed, whose debut novel Torch is published this month.

[H]ere the 37-year-old author touches on why she finds it hard to discuss her book. Because of the subject matter, Strayed finds that people expect the book to be “a Hallmark type of story.”

“Yes, it’s a book about a woman who dies and leaves a family, but there’s a fullness to it and it’s filled with light,” she says. “And I feel like I have to convince people of that.”

Any reader who takes the time to savor “Torch” will understand what she’s talking about. There’s humor amid the anguish of Strayed’s characters along with remarkable insights on dealing with the death of a loved one. Strayed doesn’t drown us in pathos. Instead, she exposes the roller coaster of emotions that toss the survivors in different directions and ambush them when they least expect it.

You can read it all here.