GOLDILOCKS

A debut road memoir features a recent college graduate and his beloved dog.

Ashliman, who narrates this wandering tale, has had just about enough of Utah. At the age of 24, with a fresh degree in psychology in hand, he pilots his trusty Volkswagen Jetta on a trip to places like Las Vegas and Medford, Oregon. He doesn’t have much money at his disposal. He and his pooch, Mia, must engage in stealth camping. They are always on the alert: Any place they decide to park for a night could prove unsafe. Ashliman's tasks include locating clean public restrooms and buying weed. Throughout the adventure, he scribbles away in his brown notebook. A common refrain for him is the simple question “What the fuck am I doing out here?” Ashliman, who rhapsodizes about everything from gas station attendants in Oregon to the zombielike culture of Vegas and the “friendly and welcoming” Palm Springs, California, is not in a particular rush to find out exactly what he is doing in these places. As he reminds readers, “Everything you do every day always takes a few extra steps once you’re on the road.” Ashliman’s story takes a cerebral approach to life on the road. Ashliman usually does more thinking than interacting. In Oregon, he steps inside an imposing poker room only to step out again almost immediately. In Nevada, he is about to visit the Hoover Dam. He decides against it when he learns that firearms (he admits to keeping a small gun in his car) are not allowed. The results of such decisions are not exactly action-packed. But while the protagonist barely speaks to anyone on his journey, he still manages to generate plenty of vivid ruminations. He reflects on how “life’s coming, and it’s coming fast and vicious, and year after year I keep thinking it’ll slow down and give me a minute to catch my breath.” He makes lots of discoveries along the way—they just tend to be internal.

An intriguing and contemplative, if leisurely, take on a young seeker on America’s highways.