Be Not Far from Me

Davey Beet was a counselor at Camp Little Fish each year that Ashley attended. He was five years older than Ashley, and she looked up to him with respect as a mentor. Davey taught Ashley the many survival skills she uses throughout the novel, such as how to start a friction fire, catch a fish with bare hands, spot a trail, and build a shelter. Davey is also a romantic interest for Ashley. Despite their age difference, she was attracted to his strong arms and seemingly endless wilderness knowledge. However, Davey did not see Ashley in a romantic way; the only time she thought he may be attracted to her was when they saw one another at a gas station when Ashley was 15 and he was 20. Davey gave Ashley the nickname “Ass-Kicker” her second year at camp because of her feisty spirit, and the two of them spent significant time together on trails, enjoying nature and practicing survival skills.

Davey’s mysterious disappearance creates tension in the novel as a subplot that runs alongside Ashley’s struggle to survive. Ashley’s attraction to Davey and grief over his disappearance creates friction in her relationship with Duke. Furthermore, since Davey’s body was never found, Ashley holds on to hope that he may be alive. As Ashley makes her way through the woods, she finds signs of Davey’s presence, such as the hat his mom made for him and a carving in a tree trunk. Eventually, Ashley finds Davey’s tent with his body inside. Ashley wonders if nature drew her to find Davey; they both roamed the same section of the Smoky Mountains after experiencing heartbreak, and finding Davey is part of Ashley’s self-discovery process.

While Ashley might be meant to find Davey, she is not meant to share his fate. Like Davey, she ran into the woods because of heartbreak, but she survives her ordeal. She chooses to leave his tent and keep walking, rather than to curl up and die alongside his body. Davey fostered Ashley’s love of nature and gave her the wilderness skills she uses to survive in the woods. He also helps in her transformation process as she confronts her emotions about his disappearance and death, and she continues to press on and fight for survival. 

Ashley’s dad works long hours and frequent overtime shifts, but money is still tight for him and Ashley. He is a single parent to Ashley after Ashley’s mom leaves, and Ashley and her dad share a close relationship. He takes Ashley outdoors often as a child, which contributes to her love for nature. While other kids were spending their days at the community pool, Ashley was hiking and fishing with her dad.

Ashley’s relationship with her dad hasn’t always been easy. They live in a small trailer, and the proximity causes issues between them at times. Ashley’s dad sent her to Camp Little Fish during the summers as a way of getting privacy and time to himself at home. Ashley complains about their trailer home sometimes, and one of her biggest regrets is lashing out at her father in anger, saying things about their life that she knew would hurt him the most. Despite these difficulties in their relationship, Ashley and her dad share sweet memories and times of closeness too. Ashley remembers faking sleep when she was young just so her father would carry her to bed, and this is one of her happiest memories that she looks back on while in the woods. When Ashley and her father are reunited at the end of her ordeal, it’s clear that Ashley’s dad was distraught over her disappearance; he lost several pounds, and the stress affected him physically. Ashley appreciates her dad and their home in a new way, and their reunion suggests they will share an even closer bond than before. Ashley’s dad is a loving parent who does his best to provide and care for his daughter.

Ashley’s mom, Wendy, left Ashley and her dad at an unspecified point in Ashley’s childhood. In a letter, she told Ashley she left because Ashley did not need her. Ashley was such an independent child that she didn’t even let her mother brush her hair. Ashley’s mother used to say Ashley was born with teeth and nails, underscoring the wild and fighting spirit Ashley’s mother recognized in her daughter. In Ashley’s eyes, however, she gets her independent spirit from her mom. Part of Ashley’s self-discovery process in the woods involves realizing that she needed her mom in more ways than she previously acknowledged. Even though Ashley is independent and tough, those qualities do not exempt her from the need for nurturing and a mother-daughter relationship.

Duke is Ashley’s boyfriend of three months, but they have been friends since childhood. He shares Ashley’s love for nature, and they often spend time together outdoors. Duke’s home life isn’t easy. Duke’s father is abusive, and with five younger siblings, his house is in a constant state of noise and chaos. However, when his father comes home, the hubbub turns to silence as Duke’s siblings retreat to their rooms out of fear.

Ashley and Duke seem close at the beginning of the novel, but the presence of Natalie, Duke’s ex-girlfriend, creates tension between them. Davey Beet is also a sore subject since Duke feels like Ashley compares him to Davey, holding him to standards he can’t quite meet. When Ashley sees Duke with Natalie in the woods, this incident propels Ashley away from camp and into the woods. Ashley struggles during her ordeal between anger at Duke and the desire to restore their relationship. Duke also brings out aspects of Ashley’s character, such as her desire for relationship, her dramatic anger when wronged, and her insecurity, shown when she compares herself to Natalie. Although Ashley and Duke have a long history together and had a mostly happy romantic relationship, Ashley decides his actions have caused too much hurt and is unable to continue the relationship once she returns home.

Meredith is Ashley’s opposite in every way. She’s described as a stereotypical “girly girl,” while Ashley is grittier and loves the outdoors. Even though they don’t have much in common, Ashley and Meredith have been friends since kindergarten. In their small town, they don’t have a large pool of potential friends, so they put up with each other despite their differences.

Even though Ashley complains about their differences, she realizes that Meredith cares for her deeply. Ashley thinks about times Meredith noticed that Ashley didn’t have food and discreetly shared her lunch or invited Ashley to her house for takeout. Also, Meredith is tougher than she looks. Although she complains a little on the hike to the party site, she continues walking despite a painful blister that Ashley notices on her foot. During Ashley’s time in the woods, she realizes that she needs to take the good along with the bad in her friendship with Meredith. She recognizes that no friendship is perfect but that it’s possible to love and treasure a friend despite imperfections and contrasting personalities.