South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels

Summary

Shortlisted for the Sixth Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize—Nonfiction Category!

Shortlisted for Best Trade Non-Fiction at the 2020 Book Publishing Awards!

South Away follows Meaghan Marie Hackinen and her sister in the adventure of a lifetime: bicycling from Terrace, British Columbia, down the West Coast to (almost) the tip of the Baja Peninsula. Along the way Hackinen battles with the elements in Vancouver Island's dense northern forests and frigid Mexican deserts; encounters strange men, suicidal highways, and monster trucks; and makes some emergency repairs as ties and spokes succumb to the ravages of the journey. Luckily, the pair meet some good people along the way and glean some insight about the kindness of strangers.

A rare road trip story with two female leads, this travel memoir also chronicles an inner journey, as the author begins to better understand her relationship with her adventurous (and not-so-adventurous) family. South Away tells an engaging and personable tale, with imaginative and memorable depictions of land and sea along the ever-winding coast.