UNLOST

In this memoir, Mortensen chronicles his trek from California through Central and South America.

Picking up where he left off in his debut travel memoir, The Buddha and the Bee: Biking Through America’s Forgotten Roadways on an Accidental Journey of Discovery (2020), the author continues his destinationless journey, setting his sights on South America. After leaving the bike he traveled with in the previous book, Mortensen headed to Mexico because “something was pulling me to continue south.” Such statements are indicative of the author’s travel planning; when he has a feeling or desire, he follows it. His feelings guide him through Central America to South America, where he hitchhikes and takes buses, trains, and planes around the continent. Mortensen is adept at meeting fellow wanderers, linking up with strangers and traveling with them if their desires align. One such stranger was Hans, a man from Holland who invited the author on an impromptu hike in Argentina—the Sierra Valdivieso Circuit. According to Hans, the hike was “twenty-eight miles long with 6300’ of elevation gain,” and should have taken three days. The ensuing misadventure is one of many times throughout the memoir in which Mortensen’s wry prose style adds levity to what could have been a more harrowing story if written by someone more self-important. Instead, he writes almost anti-seriously, inviting readers to see that his wanderings are intentionally aimless—the author even sardonically refers to himself throughout the book as “your hero.” This affectation could feel twee, but Mortensen’s unpolished reflections obviate any archness (the memoir’s friendly accessibility is one of its most prominent features). The author keeps his reflections short, even when waxing poetically about some destination or history, such as his discussion of the balsas he encounters in Copacabana, Bolivia. Occasionally, Mortensen’s sardonicism can become overbearing, especially when he makes broad generalizations and assumptions about groups of people. Still, the book fulfills his stated purpose: “I hope this book guides in some way but this is not a guidebook.”

A shaggy travel memoir with amusing recollections and occasional nuggets of wisdom.