SO depressing. Per the usual, Kristin Hannah has created layered, fleshy characters and an engrossing story, but you really need to be in a good place emotionally to read this one. While many of her books are bittersweet and run the gamut of life’s emotions, this one is pretty bleak cover to cover. If all is stable and calm in your world and you read it from a place of peace and emotional homeostasis, or you need a catalyst for a bawl fest, go for it! It’s certainly an engrossing read and very well written. But if you have a lot on your plate, or more than a bit of emotional stress in your life at the moment, steer clear. Perhaps the fact that it has had such a strong effect on my state of mind is a testament to Ms. Hannah’s storytelling abilities, but I’d unread this, at least for the moment, if I could. I’m so exhausted and bummed out from reading this, I’m having a hard time getting out of my pjs this weekend! Additionally, there are a couple of areas where the plot line is a real stretch, but I think it’s so well-written overall that those things can be overlooked. Still a very good book, but good grief!

After having read and enjoyed The Nightingale and seeing this book’s star rating on Amazon, I thought it would be as good or at least comparable to The Nightingale, but unfortunately that is not the case. It almost seems as though The Great Alone was written by a different author. The plot is formulaic and full of holes, the characters flat and kitschy, and many of the details highly unlikely. The book is a clumsy and sophomoric attempt at portraying complicated and compelling subjects matter.

This can best be described as ChickLit meets Adventure with a hearty dose of Melodrama. It is a good story—the kind that keeps you turning pages to find out what happens. And if you enjoy books with riveting plots, this one is for you. But thats about all it has. The characters—and some are quite colorful—are far too one-dimensional. The bad guys are really bad. And the good guys are really good. And there is not much in between.

Written by Kristin Hannah, this is the story of 13-year-old Leni who moves in 1974 (in an old VW bus of all things) to the uncivilized wilds of Alaska with her parents, Cora and Ernt. Cora is a loving mother, who thinks of Leni as her best friend. Ernt is a former Vietnam POW, who has nightmares and rages of anger that he takes out on his wife with his fists. This is the classic story of danger, and even in the middle of winter in godforsaken Alaska the real danger can be inside the cabin—not out.

While most of the plot is predictable, there are a few unexpected twists and turns that save the book from being totally banal. Still, this is hardly great literature.

Rarely in my 50 years of reading have i come across a story that enfolds me into its pages as did "The Great Alone". The character of Leni takes us on a journey where we dont always want to follow. Her story is raw and honest, told through the innocence of a girl coming of age in the tumultuous 60s. Her description of Alaska is like watching a documentary about the state where we are swept from the water up to the glaciers and see a great panoramic of the wild and pristine state. Alaska herself comes alive as a character here, just as detailed and meaningful as any other. I grew to love the inhabitants of Kenaq as if I had lived there myself. The story flows in an often unpredictable way and leaves the reader wanting more. I am so glad I read this book and I cant wait to recommend it to others.

Ernt Allbright can’t run far enough to escape his demons. Going off-grid in Alaska, Ernt drags his wife, Cora, and his daughter, Leni, into a wilderness experience none of them are prepared for in an effort to start a new life. They must learn to garden, hunt, and gather as much food as possible to survive the long winter, guarding against bears, wolves, and other predators that would destroy their home. The townspeople donate livestock and helpfully train the small family in homesteading skills to improve their chances of holding on until spring. As time goes by, Leni finds new friendships even as her father alienates the townspeople. As the winter days shorten and daylight slips away, Ernt’s grip on his temper and sanity wanes and his family will pay the price.

There’s a lot of love in The Great Alone: a mother’s love, a friend’s love, a family’s love, romantic love, and dysfunctional love. Some of the romances are rock-solid and life-affirming. One romance is love at its best: patient, enduring, and indelible. However, the dysfunctional love that binds Ernt and Cora intersperses abusive episodes with declarations of love, regret, and broken promises.

The residents of Kaneq, Alaska, don’t understand why Leni’s mother doesn’t tell someone, doesn’t leave, doesn’t accept help, why she doesn’t stop loving her abusive husband. They don’t understand why Leni doesn’t leave her parents and escape to college. But I can relate. It takes years to grow past the fear of telling people that one of your parents is hurting the other or hurting you and your siblings. Hiding becomes ingrained. Your family closes its ranks and stands alone against the world. There’s a wall that must not be breached. Your family pretends that the bruises and broken bones are from accidents. It becomes normal to both love and fear your parent. I think Kristin Hannah beautifully captures the essence of that conflict and dichotomy.

I couldn’t sleep last night, and The Great Alone caught my eye as I was perusing Kindle books and nomming on a Skor bar hoping to feel sleep sneaking up on me. So quickly was I caught by this book that half my Skor bar still remains stranded on my bureau, abandoned when I nabbed my tablet and snuck to my recliner without waking the significant other. The story was so enthralling that I devoured it in one extended sitting broken only by puppy potty breaks.

The Great Alone is a chilling, emotionally wrenching roller coaster ride. Kristin Hannah has created characters that are believable and realistically populate her vision of a child caught between a parent she loves and cannot abandon and a parent who claims to love her. In the midst of becoming a warrior capable of surviving her family, Alaska, hard choices, and the tragedies that rock her world, Leni discovers the true families that love her.

It’s hard to write about this book and not include spoilers, so I’ll stop here and just say that there is a lot of sorrow (ask my Kleenex box about it), growth, and even joy in The Great Alone. For all its pain, this tale is unforgettably uplifting. Highly recommended.

Edited for TMI and again to add in love as an element, since my review overly emphasized the sadder elements of the storyline.

This was a novel of spousal and family abuse. The stroyline was at times laughably implausible. Too often I found myself reading and thinking “oh come on!” Not a happy tale. Not particularly an adventure. If you want to read about Alaska, read James Mitchner. Or Jack London.

 

 

 

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