The Trap, by John Smelcer
April 26, 2018
Written by, Hugh O’Donnell
In the book The Trap, by John Smelcer, there is a constant back and forth between two parallel stories that unfold side by side. While the story can be read as just a simple, captivating novel of a grandfather stuck in a wolf trap and his grandson’s actions not knowing his grandfather is in the woods, the book also has a wilderness survival teaching aspect to it.
Throughout the sections of the book that follow Albert, the grandfather, who is stuck in a wolf trap, there is a very clear theme of survival. These sections of the book stand to teach readers about how to survive in a very cold wilderness without shelter, food, or water. Albert’s experience teaches the reader how to ration firewood to stay warm, how to salvage water from slush next to the fire, and how to defend yourself against wild animals. There is a very useful survival aspect to this book and even though it is easily unnoticed, it can be a very useful way to learn how to survive in such conditions. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a good story while also being able to learn important life lessons about the wilderness.