---
product_id: 11044126
title: "Into the Forest: A Novel"
brand: "jean hegland"
price: "€ 32.96"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.fr/products/11044126-into-the-forest-a-novel
store_origin: FR
region: France
---

# Into the Forest: A Novel

**Brand:** jean hegland
**Price:** € 32.96
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Into the Forest: A Novel by jean hegland
- **How much does it cost?** € 32.96 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
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## Description

Into the Forest: A Novel

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![Into the Forest: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51zuu4eV8AL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    SPOILERS ALERT - Wonderful but...
  

*by F***E on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 8, 2012*

As with many other reviewers, I have been reading post-apocalyptic fiction for several decades now, and I was drawn to "Into the Forest" precisely because of this interest. One of the most significant strengths of Hegland's book leads me to disagree in part with Mr. Toad: Western Civilization in "Into the Forest" does fall into barbarity and marauding sociopaths do roam the country feeding on the dregs of our society, e.g. when the girls and their father go into Redwood for the last time. The point is that Hegland does not focus her attention on these aspects of decay, as does Stirling or King in "The Stand" or even McCarthy in "The Road". Nor does she describe the communal reorganization of humanity in the post-apocalyptic world. "Into the Forest" is not the depiction of the opposing forces into which the remains of our society have evolved. Rather, the author leads the reader on a secondary path of the effects this decay will have on the individual who does not venture into the dying world. In other words, the chaos of apocalypse is brought into the quiet realm of domesticity.The characters could very well live in the same world as portrayed by Stirling or King but they transcend the apocalyptic clash of good versus evil because, most importantly, Hegland asks the question: "How does an individual cope with such an event?" To persist in their pre-disaster routine - studying for admittance to Harvard for Nell or dancing ballet for Eva - distances these still teenage girls from insanity. And even here, with a cast of only two, Hegland provides the reader with a realistic coexistence of the best and the worst humanity has to offer, through a litany of the cardinal sins: both sisters throughout the novel display lust and abstinence from sex, gluttony and restraint, greed and solidarity, sloth and industriousness, implacable wrath and intense serenity, envy and generosity, pride and humility. They each stand as the Everyman, or Everyperson if you will, coming of age while representing simultaneously female versions of Adam and Eve (see Nell's assumption of the role of breadwinner/protector and Eva's more evident femininity, not to mention her name), or perhaps of Cain and Abel.The novel is a beautifully written piece of prose and yet I cannot bring myself to give it five stars. Not because it is steeped in feminist theory, at times annoyingly so, to the point of misandry. For instance, the male characters are either comically inept (Robert), violent rapists (the drifter) or abandon their mates, literally, for the big city lights (Eli: another biblical name. There must be some meaning behind it but I am not a biblical scholar, so I cannot say for certain). Other feminist features are more subtle: the names of their chickens, Bathsheba and Lilith; the female black bear that scares off the intruder; the abandonment of the male built house for the redwood stump (where the girls played as wood nymphs as children); the indifferent forest, a word whose cognates in Romance Languages are all feminine, becoming provider of food, shelter and protection, thereby allowing communion not with nature but with natura, the feminine side of nature. Nor am I particularly disturbed/offended by the infamous incest "scene" which, for all the hullabaloo, occurs in the space of half a page.It is the final scene of Hegland's book that forces me to rate it four stars: there is never, under any circumstances, any justification for the burning of books. As an author, Hegland should have a particular sensitivity to this point. I suspect that the choice to have Nell - of all people - burn her books is connected to the pervasive feminist theory mentioned above and the foolishness of "herstory". The inclusion of a female perspective in literature and history is most certainly warranted yet not at the cost of destroying millennia's worth of literary heritage whose only fault is that of having been produced for the most part by men.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Survival at your feet
  

*by J***H on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 24, 2003*

Jean Hegland gives us a provocative novel about a family who lived far on the out skirts of a northern California small town surrounded by second growth redwood forest.  The two girls, Eva, 17, and  Nell (the protagonist) 16, explored the forest in their younger years, heeding the many warnings of their mother to beware the many perils lurking in the woods.  As they became older, their interest in playing in the forest waned, replaced by Eva's commitment to ballet and Nell's advanced self-education to prepare for matriculation to Harvard.Unfortunately, their mother's untimely death heralds the collapse of their society as they know it.  Political and environmental catastrophies create anarchy on a local and grander scale.Deadly epidemics break out across the nation as modern age medical systems become obsolete without electricity to power the diagnostic equipment  and refreigerate the medications and vaccines.  Infections now resistant to antibiotics become more virulent and illnesses easily managed by surgery now prove lethal as hospitals close and physicians find themselves helpless without the ability to operate.  The infrastructure to distribute drugs collapses as there is no way to procure or prescribe medication.  There is not transportation system as there is no gasoline available and the freeways have become parking lots for abandoned cars.  It is indeed a dismal picture of dread and doom.  Literally everything that has been taken for granted in their lives has now failed them and their survival skills are newborn at best.The fascinating accounting of these girl's efforts to adapt is a rich and rewarding adventure.  Left to themselves, they must now learn that everything they need is ultimately at their feet, but the path to understanding this is a difficult one.  Their isolation in the house far away from town leaves them vulnerable.  Their reliance on everything modern leaves them initially  helpless and the loss of their parents leaves them emotionally wasted.  It ultimately becomes quite obvious that no one will save them and their own survival will be up to them. Nell begins to research their environment and her studies prove to be their saving grace.  Nell learns that generations of  Indians before them survived  hundreds of years in the very same forest they live in.  Nell must now extract from the forest gifts they need to survive.  Everything they need is at their feet in the forest.  Herein is the unique survival story of Eva and Nell.My family consists of environmental biologists, wildlife biologists and nursing science.  When I began this book, the concept so intrigued me that I gave a nightly summation to everyone while I prepared dinner.  Soon, we were all involved in the story line while we projected a similar fate for ourselves and what issues would be important to us and the survival skills we would have to be proficient.It is abundantly clear that we have become a dependent and wasteful society.  Our waste paper basket hold objects that Nell and Eva would have cherished.  I found this book not one of fear and fatalism, nor did I find this to be a story without faith and morals, as one reader stated. I found many messages of faith and hope in the book and am frankly  shocked that some readers could not understand them.I took away a powerful message to be more self reliant, conservative and environmentally sensitive.  I do believe my garden will be a little larger this year!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Ddifferent to the usual post apocalyptic novel
  

*by R***U on Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 13, 2022*

It's sort of post apocalyptic, but the reasons are rarely referred to, and always with a sense of vagueness. There are wars in distant lands, outbreaks of various illnesses, but no one can ever put their finger on the reason for everything falling apart. The main character, Nell, and her sister, Eva, live remotely and never really find out what exactly went wrong. Without expressly stating it, the family live pretty much like hippies, not in a negative way, although some of the negatives are pointed out.As can be gathered from the blurb, this is the story of two sisters struggling to survive after whatever happened. There is quite a lot of domestic detail about how they achieve it, which I understand some readers may find tedious. I didn't, because it was like Nell telling us how the girls managed, especially after all the trials and tribulations they went through. This isn't a novel with a lot of action, despite some bad events, nothing is explicit and it's quite a gentle story. There are different shades, but Hegland is never over dramatic in her choices.I've subconsciously got into the habit of thinking about what rating I might give to a book while I'm still reading it. Into the Forest felt like a 3 of 4, hedging towards a 3. Some readers have complained about the ending, but I think it suited the story perfectly, and I got it. Although the novel didn't set my world on fire, I couldn't think of a single thing that I didn't like about it, so I settled on a 4. It's certainly different to the usual post apocalyptic novel.

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*Product available on Desertcart France*
*Store origin: FR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-23*